Beyond Great Bay
by rage2
Summary: *chapter 13* Secras knows how to save Link! Wait, Link needs saving? Yep and you won't believe who tries to save him.
1. Welcome to Termina

    **Disclaimer: **I do not own Legends of Zelda. I do not own, Link, Zelda, Malon and all other characters and names related to the game. I do own Teri Goy, her ship, her sailors and her land. (you take them, start running).

**Author's Note: **This isn't my first Zelda fic, but it's the first time that Ganondorf or Majora are not the enemies. Hope you enjoy.

    Epona stood quietly on the shores of Great Bay as she watched Link swim in the waves. He was diving in and out, splashing the water into the air, tackling waves. He was having the time of his life. Epona watched silently, for she enjoyed drinking water, not being in it. In fact, it was her only fear. Why, she was unsure.

    She heard footsteps. She turned her head and saw a Zora approach her. The Zora smiled and patted Epona on the head and continued on.

   "Hey Link!" the Zora called, "Can you stop moving for a minute?" Link stood in the water, surprised by the Zora's appearance.

   "Princess Ruto?" Link asked in disbelief, "What are you doing here?"

   "Reminding you," she said in a playful tone, "that you have to be a somewhat important dinner at Hyrule castle tonight." Link gave her a puzzled look, but his eyes widened as he understood.

   "Zelda's birthday!" he said between clenched teeth, slamming his fist against his head, "How did I forget?" Ruto laughed.

   "At least you got her a present." She said.

   "Yeah, somehow I remembered that," Link said, then gave Ruto a suspicious look, "How do you know about the present?"

   "I'm a Sage Link," Ruto replied, walking away, "I have my means." Link didn't bother to ask. Instead, he got out of the water. He opened his mouth to ask something, but saw Ruto looking at the water with a puzzled look. Link turned and saw a Zora moving at a very fast speed. It leapt from the water, landed and rolled to Link's feet.

   "Do you have your mask?" he asked.

   "The Zora mask? No, but I have my Zora tunic with me." Link said, retrieving the blue shirt from his pack. 

   "Put it on quick and come to Zora's Hall as fast as you can." Before Link could ask why, the Zora was already swimming back to his home.

   "What's going on?" Ruto asked.

   "I don't know," Link replied, "But I know I'll never be able to reach Zora's Hall. The waves are too strong for me to swim against."

   "Take my hand." Ruto said. Link obeyed and they were soon heading towards Zora's Hall.

    They surfaced within the beautiful home of the Zoras. Link and Ruto walked up to the main walkway. Next to it was a moat, which surrounded a large, clamshell, stage. There were many passages leading to the lodgings, the stores and other rooms, which provided these Zoras their daily needs.

    Link had learned long ago that this was just one type of community home and that there were at least two-dozen more. Over the years, Link had visited all of these homes. Each one was spectacular in its own right, but Link favored this one the most. Partially because it was the first one he had ever visited (besides Zora's Domain), partially because he really liked the way Zora's Hall was designed.

    The Zora that had asked Link to come was now rushing towards them. He looked panicked and yet, amazed at the same time. All the other Zoras were all in a similar state.

   "You best come out back." The Zora said.

   "What's going?" Link asked, running to keep up with the Zora.

   "There's a large ship heading towards us."

   "So?" Link asked, not understanding.

   "It came from beyond the Great Bay Temple." The Zora explained, "And it's not a Gerudo ship. They tend to use small motorboats. This looks like a warship."

   "Let's hope that war isn't its intentions." Link said as he stepped onto the rocky backyard. The other Zoras were already there, including the band. Link was amazed to see that the giant turtle was awake.

   "What are you doing up?" Link asked.

   "I wanted to see this with open eyes," the turtle answered, "This ship comes from a land unknown to me. I wanted to see it." The turtle looked at the crowd, "You and your friend should climb on me. You'll get a better view." Link thanked him and climbed up. Once up, he turned and helped Ruto. When she was standing, Link followed the crowd's gaze. And understood what the excitement was about.

    A little in front and to the left of the Great Bay Temple was a huge wooden ship. Link judged to be at least 150 meters long and twenty meters wide. Its crow's nest was higher than Hyrule's gate. On the sides, Link was able to discern cannons and many oars below them. He could see small figures moving across the ship. They must have been excited to see land.     

    Link watched as the ship glided towards them. It looked like it would crash into the Hall, when Link saw the anchor drop. They came to a dead stop. The oars turned the ship to its starboard.

   "Lower the plank!" a voice from the ship said. A couple of Zoras jumped back as a wooden plank crashed down at their feet. Link looked back at the ship and saw a woman with brown, curly hair, leaning on the rail. Link felt his heart skip a beat.

   "Ahoy there!" she cried, "Hope nobody was hurt from the plank."

   "No one at all," Lulu said, "Please come down. We welcome you to Zora's Hall."

   "Zora?" the lady said, "Strange name, but you don't look dangerous. All right, we accept your invitation." She whistled and cry rang from the ship. A hundred men and women descended from the ship. Many of the Zoras went back into Zora's Hall to allow room for the visitors.

   "Hope we're not too much for ye." The woman said.

   "Not at all, we've had bigger crowds," Lulu replied

   "I hope I didn't offend ye when I said that Zora was a strange name." The lady said apologetically, "It's just that, from where I come from, the stranger the name, the more dangerous the creature."

   "No offense taken. By the way, my name is Lulu of Termina. I am the singer of the Indigo-Go."

   "Pleasure to meet ye," the lady shook Lulu's hand, "I am Teri Goy, captain of the _Lucky Charm_. We come from the land of Hesra, a six-month journey from here."

   "You must be tired from such a long voyage," Lulu said, "We can provide some rooms for your sailors here and at our sister homes. We shall also prepare a feast in your honor."

   "I thank ye very much," Teri said. Then she saw Link, "I see that humans live here too."

   "To a certain extent," Link said, pointing at his ears. Teri's ears were rounded while Link's were pointed.

   "Interesting," Teri said, "Never seen something like that. Course, never seen a Zora before either."

   "The world is full of surprises," Link said, extending his hand, "I am Link of Hyrule." Teri shook his hand.

   "Ye are not from the same place as these Zoras." Teri asked.

   "No," Link shook his head, "Our lands are connected through various passages. I'll show you them later on if you like."

   "I would enjoy that." Teri said.

   "Right now," Link said, squinting at the red sun, "I have to get back to my land otherwise my princess will get upset at me for being late."

   "I shall leave ye to your business." Teri said, "How long does it take to get to your princess?"

   "By swimming and horse," Link thought it out, "Three days." 

   "Then how will you make it in time?" Teri asked in disbelief.

   "Not by swimming and horse." Ruto said, placing a hand on Link's shoulder. And in a brilliant flash of blue, they were gone.

    They re-appeared on the beach so as Link could reclaim all his belongings and Epona. Then Ruto transported Link and Epona to Lon Lon Ranch. Link put Epona in her stable. He then rushed into the house, where Malon had agreed to keep his present and his clothes for the evening. When he reached Malon's room, he saw the wrapped present on the bed. Next to it was a blue jacket. There was a white shirt with golden buttons, very frilly. The rest of the suit included blue knickers, long white socks and black shoes. Link stared at the suit for a moment then said out loud, "I am not wearing that."

   "Yes you are." Malon said from behind. Link let her pass as she came bustling into the room.

   "Did the king say I had to wear this?" Link asked exasperatedly.

   "No," Malon said, "I want you to wear it."

   "Oh, good," Link said, "I've finally convinced one of the two people who don't want me to wear the black tunic, that I should wear it. Speaking of which, where is my black tunic?"

   "I've hidden it." Malon replied, changing her clothes.

   "I've found it." A small voice said.

   "Navi!" Malon cried, forgetting to put on her gown. Link turned away, and thanked his fairy friend. 

    A few minutes later, they were in the carriage heading for the castle. Ruto had gone on ahead, saying that she would explain to Zelda why Link was late this year. Meanwhile, Link was doing his best to explain to Malon why he was late.

   "A ship from beyond the Great Bay Temple?" Malon repeated.

   "Yes." Link said.

   "This is a big deal…"

   "Because the ship is neither Terminian or Hylian. They come from Hesra."

   "Where's Hesra?"

   "Six months west of Zora's Hall."

   "Oh, okay." Malon fell silent, "Why is it a big deal again?" Link gave an aggravated cry. Malon laughed loudly.

   "All right, you got me." Link admitted. Malon stuck out her tongue at him. Link looked at her and chuckled.

   "If people saw us, they'd think we're married." Link said.

   "Yeah, so are you going to ask Zelda tonight?" Malon asked, looking at the road.

   "What makes you think I'm going to ask Zelda to marry me?"

   "That's an awfully small present you got Zelda this year, Link." Malon said loudly.

   "You don't know what's in it." Link said.

   "Yes I do." 

   "No you don't."

   "Yes I do."

   "No," he pointed a finger at her, "you don't."

   "Okay, I don't." Malon fell silent again. Link continued to stare at her, noticing the smug smile she had on her face.

   "You don't." he said.      


	2. Shadow Link

**Author's Note: **Thank you shenlon_99 for reviewing this story, my DBZ story, and for pointing out that I only had one chapter. Without further ado, here is chapter two.

    The night came over Termina quickly. The trees on the beach seemed to become monsters; the boulders in the ocean were now impassable mountains. Humans, Zoras and Gorons all agreed; night was the worst time to be in the wild, even in these peaceful times.

    One of the sailors of Hesra was had come out of his room. When he had stepped down from the ship the Zoras were frightened, for although he had never harmed their land, they knew what Ganondorf looked like. And this sailor was an exact replica except for his clothing. He had the same size as the giant evil, even the same hair and eyes. But his eyes did not burn with an evil flame and he was quiet and a pleasant man to be around. The Zoras fears were soon put to rest.

    As Zora's Hall slept, the sailor crept towards his captain's room. She had asked to see him in the middle of the night for answers to questions that she wanted to keep secret. He reached the door, looked around and tapped lightly. The door opened and the large sailor bent in.

    Teri closed the door behind him and turned to face her friend with a tired face.

   "I'm sorry to have summoned ye at such a time." She said.

   "It was no problem captain." He said, in a surprisingly high voice for his size.

   "I wanted to ask ye about the human that was here today with these Zoras." She said, pacing the room.

   "I did not see him captain." The sailor said, standing like a block in the center of the room.

   "Yet ye knew it were a man and not a woman." Teri said, slowing her pace.

   "I heard his voice, which had a different texture than everyone else's." the sailor replied, eyeing Teri.

   "I understand what ye mean," Teri said, stopping, "I know of your ability to sense a person's strengths and weaknesses Gerud. Tell me, what are Link's strengths and weaknesses?" she sat down on her bed.

   "He is a remarkably skilled warrior," he said, "very different from many other warriors I have sensed before. But like all warriors, he follows a code. His code is quite simple: defeat all evil that endangers his land or loved ones."

   "Which does he value more?" Teri asked.

   "His loved ones," Gerud answered, "But he's willing to sacrifice them if he sees no other option."

   "Really?" Teri asked, surprised, "How do ye come to that conclusion?"

   "It is my belief after having analyzed so many warriors similar to him."

   "So ye could be wrong."

   "The possibility is there."

   "Can he be of use to us?" Teri asked, standing.

   "In what way?"

   "To free our land of course, what other way is there?" Teri was confused. Gerud gave her a sly look. The captain didn't understand for a moment, but soon caught on, "Don't analyze me."

   "As ye wish." Gerud said, leaving the room. Teri stared at the door for a moment, then walked to her bed. Crumpled on the floor next to the bed was a bag. She picked it up and pulled out a gourd. It was light and black. She popped off the cap and poured some black powder into her hand.

   "If he cannot defeat his shadow," she said, holding her palm with the powder leveled in front of her, "he will not be able to defend himself against the enemy that is bound to come." She whispered a phrase in an ancient tongue and blew the powder into the air. It swirled into the air, pausing for a moment in front of Teri, then left through the window.

   "I hope I do not send death." She said and climbed into bed. She was soon asleep.

   "Malon!" Link whined, "You're taking too long. We're going to be really late."

   "I realize that," she said, "but I'm worried about the…" they heard a crack. Link caught the edge of the wagon as it dropped from beneath him. He looked behind to see the problem.

   "Were you were worried about the wheel?" he asked.

   "Not any more." Malon said, setting the reins down and jumping from the wagon. Link was already inspecting the fallen wheel.

   "Well?" Malon asked.

   "In a word," Link said, tossing the wheel aside, "busted." Malon stared at the ground. 

   "I'm sorry," Malon said in a small voice, "I only realized there was problem about ten minutes ago."

   "Hey," Link said, giving her a hug, "don't worry about it. Nobody's hurt and now, I have an excuse to use the faster way." Malon gave him a puzzled look. Link just smiled, letting her go and pulling an oval shaped flute from his pocket.

   "The ocarina." Malon said, understanding. She unhitched the horse and sent it home. She decided to leave the carriage there; it was of no use anymore. Malon rested a hand on Link's shoulder. He put the ocarina to his mouth and started playing a high-noted tune. But after only the first two notes, he stopped.

   "What's wrong?" Malon asked, looking at his face. Link was looking out into the darkness. Malon followed his gaze and saw only night.

   "What's wrong?" Malon asked again. This time, Link responded. He went to the wagon and came back with his sword and shield. His sword was the one he had forged in Termina long ago. As he grew older, he lengthened the blade in proportion to his height. The Gilded sword from long ago was now as long as the Master Sword. Link dared not pull that blade anymore. Doing so would release the Dark Lord.

    His shield was the one he found in the Spirit Temple. It had a crescent moon on its face and a symbol of the Triforce underneath. Its highly polished surface was bordered by steel colored red. Link's mirror shield, when placed on the ground, reached up to Link's chest.

    But as he pushed Malon out of the way and readied himself for battle, he saw that the evil approaching might be difficult to defeat. It glided silently in the night. It was hard to see it, for the evil was the night.

   "What is it?" Malon cried.

   "It's me!" Link yelled back as the shadow lifted his sword into the air. Link stabbed at it, but the shadow raised his shield, stopping the blow. He brought his sword down, but Link had already put his shield between them. He pushed the sword back and tried to cut across. The shadow jumped back. The blade grazed it. Link came at it again and again, always just slitting it, but not getting the desired result. The shadow's sword came from nowhere, gouging Link's arm. Link winced and jumped back. They continued charging, slicing, blocking, clashing for what seemed like an eternity. Malon watched from what she thought was a safe distance. The cut arm was hindering Link's shield. The battle was slowly turning in the shadow's favor. That's when Navi came.

   "Link!" she cried, carrying a miniature bow, "Catch!" she dropped the bow, which grew to full size before landing in Link's hand. Navi flew to Link's back and with a little magic, attached a full size quiver full of arrows.

   "Thanks Navi." Link said, drawing an arrow. The shadow raised his shield, ready to block the incoming arrow. Link smiled, but hid the grin just as quickly and focused some of his energy through the arrow. It crackled with a bright green light, engulfing the arrow. Little bolts of lightning danced across it. 

   "Hope this works." Link said out loud. He pulled the string to his ear and released. The arrow stuck into the shadow's shield and exploded. Link watched as little comets of light flew away from his enemy, but quickly came back, striking at the body. The shadow shook like a leaf, before falling onto one knee. Light was still dancing across its body, when Link came over and took its head. The shadow vanished in a puff of black smoke.

    Link stood where he was, breathing heavily. Then he sat heavily on the ground, dropping shield and sword, clasping his arm. Malon rushed to his side and pried the hand off the wound.

   "It's deep," Malon said after a moment of examination, "I can see the bone."

   "Let's get to Hyrule Castle," Link said painfully, standing up, "One of the Great Fairies lives near by." He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. He took the ocarina from his pocket and lifted it to his mouth. The movement of his arm sent a wave of pain to his brain, but he had experienced worse. He played the Prelude of Light and a bright yellow light engulfed Link, Malon and Navi. They were gone.

    The shadow watched as the three beings changed into a bolt of light and flew high into the air, towards the castle. It then floated in the air and headed for Termina. It flew over the great trees of Kokiri forest. It descended below the canopy of leaves and flew deeper and deeper into the forest. It found the tunnel that connected Hyrule to Termina. The shadow rushed through it, arriving underneath the clock tower.

    The shadow then followed the stream that moved the great gears. It went through a system of pipes, before arriving at a small man made lake. From there, it took to the air again and floated towards Zora's Hall. It was nearly dawn when it glided into Teri's gourd and pulled the cap closed behind it. 

    Teri did not wake up, but she knew that the shadow had returned. She knew that the shadow had nearly won, but an external force turned the tides. She knew that Link was capable of magic and was very strong. For very few had ever survived their shadow, even with another person's help or with powerful weapons. Link was one of the few warriors to survive his shadow.

    When the rooster crowed, Teri got out of bed, put on some clothes that the Zoras had found for her and went to Gerud's room. The giant sailor was already up when Teri approached him. She stopped within his shadow.

   "Link defeated Shadow Link." She said and continued on.

   "For once, I truly forgive you for being late." Zelda said, standing in the doorway of Link's room. The young man was watching the sun rise, but upon hearing the princess' voice, he turned immediately.

   "I'm still sorry for missing your birthday." He said apologetically.

   "Don't worry," Zelda said while walking towards him, "at least you're here to eat what's left of the cake." Link chuckled softly, pulling Zelda close to him. She put her head on his chest. She closed her eyes, sighing.

   "It's not Ganondorf." Link said suddenly. Zelda looked him in the eye.

   "How so?" she asked.

   "It's the feeling I have," Link said, not returning her gaze, "Or rather, the feeling I don't have. Whenever Ganondorf or one of his creations came close, I felt something. I can't explain what it is, but whatever it is, I didn't feel it with the shadow."

   "What about Majora's Mask?" she asked.

   "It no longer exists," Link said, staring at her now, "I burned it two years ago." Zelda pulled out of his grasp.

   "You never told me this." Zelda said tensely.

   "Didn't want you to worry," Link replied, "I had a dream that Majora's mask would regain its former power. It was probably a nightmare, but I didn't want to take the chance. I found it, burned it and threw its ashes into the ocean." Zelda was silent for a moment.

   "There's something you're not telling me." Zelda said finally. Link sighed, glanced at the floor and began to reveal his fears.

   "A few weeks ago, Saria spoke to me of a dream she had. She saw me fighting something but she couldn't see what because it was so dark. She saw only me in the center of darkness, swinging my sword around as if I was fighting to the death."

   "The next night, she had another dream, this one very different. I was on a ship in the middle of an ocean. From what I could tell, something came out of the water. Something big. It sank the ship, but I somehow made it to land. The next thing Saria saw was me in a dungeon."

   "That's not good," Zelda cut in.

   "It gets better," Link said and here he paused. What he was about to say was the most disturbing of all. He summoned his courage and forced his thoughts to words, "The next night, Saria believes she had a continuation of that dream. All the armies of Hyrule and Termina were standing in front of the castle. Another army filled with demons and humans was charging at the castle," he stopped. Zelda put a hand on his cheek, silently urging him to continue. Link held Zelda's hand and went on, "And I was leading that army."

    Zelda pulled her hand away, her eyes filling with horror. Her lips quivered as she tried to say something.

   "You can't possibly believe this will happen?" she cried at last.

   "I do," Link said on the verge of tears, "for I had similar dreams these past nights. And when I saw myself leading that army, I could tell that I felt no remorse for attacking my friends. That all I cared about was winning the battle."

   "Link," Zelda was worried now, for his sake, "you must not believe this. First of all, I don't see why you would be on a ship."

   "To help the sailors from Hesra maybe?" Link interrupted. 

   "What sailors?" Zelda asked, confused.

   "A ship came from beyond the Great Bay Temple. It came from a land called Hesra." Link explained.

   "When?"

   "Yesterday," Link answered, "I'm actually supposed to meet them again today." Zelda was silent for a moment, then she looked at Link.

   "Yes, you can come." He answered.


	3. Black Warriors

**Disclaimer: **As usual, I don't own Legend of Zelda or any of it characters and names. However, the Black Warriors, Count Secras and the orbs are mine. You will feel my wrath if you try to steal them.

**Author's Note: **This is the most writing I've done for one chapter.

    Teri watched from a tree as some of her men dove into the waves that crashed onto the beach. The Zoras had brought her men to the mainland and offered them various activities. One was to stay on the beach, which only ten of them decided to do because they just absolutely adored the sea.

    The other one hundred and forty men were tired of the ocean. They had spent months on a boat and were eager to get their land legs back. Horses were brought for them from the Romani Ranch. The ranch could only spare thirty horses but only twenty-five of the sailors knew how to ride. These men followed the horses to their home and they would then move on to the Woodfall region and explore the forests.

    The rest of the sailors were guided by the Zoras to Clock Town, which was preparing for the annual carnival. The Zoras planned the excursion so that they would arrive at midday and stay until the festivities. Teri and the other sailors would leave and arrive just in time for the fireworks that night.

    Teri looked across the sea and saw Gerud climbing a ladder to a building in the middle of the ocean. She wondered if the thin ladder would be able to support the massif man. It did and when Gerud got to the top, he turned and waved. Teri waved back but jumped when she heard a voice below her.

   "That's not possible!" the voice cried. Teri looked down and saw Link climbing down from his red horse. He looked afraid and angry.

   "Let me guess, ye think that is Ganondorf, true?" Teri asked, hanging upside down from the branch. Link looked up in surprise, not expecting Teri to be up in a tree. He nodded and she shook her head at the same time.

   "It's not?" Link asked in amazement.

   "No," Teri answered, dropping from the branch, "That is Gerud. The Zoras expressed the same fears as ye. From what I have heard of this Ganondorf, he is the opposite of Gerud. He is quite friendly and has a gentle heart. No evil shall come from him."

   "That is good to know." Another voice said. Teri turned and saw a woman dressed in a white gown that reached to her feet and a pink top. Her dress was adorned with many jewels. Her long blonde hair was fairer than the noon sun and her eyes were the color of the sea. She rode upon a majestic white horse. Teri knew right away that this was the princess Link had mentioned before.

    The Hylian was helping Zelda off her horse. That is what impressed Teri most of all. The fact that she rode a horse instead of riding in a carriage changed Teri's opinion about her. From the way Link had reacted on the first night, Teri believed the princess to be one who controlled many servants; one who was too frail and too weak to do anything herself. That view had been altered. When Link was afraid of being late for her, he probably was afraid of the beating the princess would personally administer. That's how Teri viewed her anyway.

   "Princess Zelda," Link said, "allow me to introduce the captain of the sailors of Hesra, Teri of Hesra."

   "It is a pleasure to meet you captain Teri." Zelda said with a warm smile.

   "And it is an honor to meet ye princess," Teri said, bowing her head.

   "I'm sorry if I'm a little over-dressed." Zelda said, blushing slightly.

   "You were probably expecting to see me in Zora's Hall I suppose?" Teri suggested.

   "Yes, that was our original plan." Zelda said.

   "We had to get out and get our land-legs back," Teri explained, "We've been out at sea too long. Only a handful of us decided to stay in the water." She glanced at her men who now trying to tackle each other, "But if you want, we can go into Zora's Hall."

   "How about to Clock Town?" Link offered, "We'll be there well before the fireworks start."

   "We plan to go there later on," Teri said.

   "Let's go to Zora's Hall." Zelda said firmly.

   "How?" Link asked, "By boat or by ocarina?"

   "What is an ocarina?" Teri asked. In answer to her question, Link pulled the blue flute from his pouch.

   "Play a certain song and you will transported to various areas of this land and the land of Hyrule." He explained.

   "I am willing to try it." Teri said. Link nodded and put the flute to his mouth.

   "Place your hand on his shoulder," Zelda said. Teri did as told and Link played a melody. When he finished, the world recognized that he had played the Song of Soaring. Two white wings emerged from Link's back and it covered up the trio. A moment later the wings released and they stood on the shore where Teri's ship had docked the day before.

   "Amazing!" she gasped, "And ye can go to any part of your land with this?" she asked, pointing at the instrument.

   "You just have to play a different tune," Link answered, "Come, let's go inside. The wind is chilly here."

    A Zora escorted the three to a large room just above the stage. There was a long, wooden table, painted blue. Pictures of fishes, Zoras and other creatures of the sea were carved along the sides of the tables. The Zora left them as Link and the two ladies took sat down. Zelda sat at the head of the table. Link was to her immediate left. Teri sat opposite of him.

   "There are others coming as well," Zelda said, "I hope you do not mind."

   "I will not mind if Gerud is here." Teri said.

   "Do you think he's still at the doctor's laboratory?" Link asked.

   "Yes," Teri replied, smiling, "Gerud as an unquenchable thirst for knowledge."

   "Then I'm sure he will enjoy being here," Zelda said, "Link go get him. We won't start until you come back with him." Link rose from his seat and opened the door. He was about to close it, when he saw a familiar face.

   "Right this way your majesty," Link held the door open to a female Zora. As she sat down, Link closed the door.

   "Princess Ruto," Zelda said, "I am pleased to see you again. From my understanding you have met captain Teri already."

   "We have indeed," she said, smiling at the captain, "Although I would call her captain Goy."

   "I'm sorry, how do you call her?" Zelda asked, leaning forward.

   "Goy is my surname," Teri explained, "Link merely forgot to mention that in the introductions."

   "That's because in this land, our surnames is the name of the land we come from." Zora added.

   "Ah," Zelda said, "I see. Well then captain Goy," Teri nodded, "We're just waiting for the rest of our people and Gerud to arrive."

   "Why the others?"

   "You are the first visitor from any other land that came from the sea." Ruto explained, "When we of Hyrule learned of Termina, we were amazed, yet we have somehow, always known about it. There is also the fact that Termina is almost identical to Hyrule."

   "We just want to know why you came here now and see what we can learn from each other." Zelda added. Teri was silent for a moment.

   "Do you consider my crew and I a threat?" she asked suddenly. Zelda was stunned by the question.

   "No," she answered, "Not at all. What makes you think that?"

   "I shall answer that when the others arrive." They said nothing until Gerud came through the door. Ruto gasped when she saw him.

   "It's okay princess," a voice from behind the giant said, "It's not Ganondorf." 

   "You could have fooled me." She said as Gerud tried to take a seat next to Teri. But the chair broke underneath his enormous bulk.

   "I'll see if I can get one of Ganondorf's chairs from his home." Link said, hammering something into the wall.

   "Link, what are you doing?" Zelda asked.

   " 'The man inside whom you believe to be Ganondorf, is not. He is called Gerud and is the opposite of Ganondorf. Do not fear him or attack him. Thank you.'" Link read the sign he had made in the laboratory. Then he disappeared behind the closed door. It opened again and a creature with wild, white hair and skin made of rock entered. He paused at the doorway.

   "Good thing my brother put the sign up." Darunia said.

    Ten minutes later, Mayor Dotour, Lulu, Nabooru (Gerudo from the Hylian wastelands), the Deku King, Impa and the King of Hyrule were all seated around the table. Link had managed to find one of Ganondorf's chairs but Gerud had refused to sit in it. 

   "It is too rich for me." He explained. 

   "Yeah," Link sympathized, "I thought the diamond-crusted arms would scare you. But it's the only one I could find."

   "It is alright," Gerud said, "I prefer to stand in any case. Sorry for the trouble."

   "No problem." Link said. That's when the door opened for the last time.

   "Ah, Raru," Zelda said as a bald man with a thick white mustache entered, "It is good to see you again."

   "A pleasure to see you as well princess," Raru said, bowing, "Saria will not be able to make it. The Great Deku Tree has taken ill and she must tend to him as well as the rest of the forest."

   "Nothing serious I hope?" Link asked.

   "She needs to see you." Raru answered. 

   "Oh," Link said, surprised, "Did she say why?"

   "No." Raru said. Link looked at Zelda, who nodded her head. 

   "Sorry about this Teri," Link said, walking to the door, "Perhaps you can tell me your story at the festival."

   "I will be a great pleasure." She said, smiling. Link returned the smile and then went outside. 

    When he was down in the main hall, he took out his ocarina and played Saria's song. Saria had taught it to him when he was ten. He was worried about her and raced back to the forest. Fortunately, nothing had happened to her, but Saria wanted to make sure that Link wouldn't return to the forest when nothing was wrong. So, she taught him her song, which would allow them to communicate across great distances through the power of their minds.

    When Link finished playing the melody, he instantly heard Saria's voice.

   "I know what you're going to ask," it said, "But you have to help the Great Deku Tree. He's been petrified."

   "Petrified?" Link cried, "How?"

   "I don't know." She said, "That's why I need your help." 

   "Right, I'm there."

    Five minutes later, Link was standing in front of the largest tree in all of Hyrule: The Great Deku Tree. This was the sapling that Link managed to save a few years back after defeating Ganondorf's phantom in the Forest Temple. But as Link approached the tree, he felt the oddest sensation.

   "He's still alive," Link said, putting a hand on the tree's trunk, "but he just can't move?"

   "He was saying something and then he just stopped." Saria explained, "The last thing he said was, 'I feel a disturbing.' Then he froze." 

   "So we have someone or something out there powerful enough to petrify the Great Deku Tree." Link said, walking towards Saria.

   "What could it be?" Saria asked. Link didn't hear her question though. He suddenly felt an evil, and powerful, presence. It was coming from the village. At that moment, a cry rang out through the forest. Birds took to the air as the yell was silenced.

    Link and Saria headed for the village. But three creatures blocked the path, nothing like they had seen before. They were completely black except for a red line that ran down their chest. They were over six feet tall and their bodies were well built. They had long claws on their hands and feet. Their faces were that of men but sharp teeth protruded from their mouth. Their ears were longer and pointer than Link's and they had no hair. Two of them wielded axes and carried a shield. The other, apparently the leader, held a large sword in each hand.

   "We're in trouble." Link said, pulling out his bow. As the leader charged him, Link pulled out an arrow, strung it up and it fly. The creature cut the arrow in half without breaking stride and then leapt at Link. The Hylian jumped to the side, pulling out another arrow. This time he lit the arrow on fire with his magic before releasing. Again the arrow was cut and the back monster managed to avoid the bolt of fire.

   "This isn't working." Link said, dropping his bow and unsheathing his sword. He got his shield in place just as an axe came crashing down. Link tried to push his adversary away, but he was overpowered. He saw a sword coming for his head. Link dropped to the ground and rolled backwards. The sudden movement got the axe wielder by surprise. It fell forward-- right into the path of the other's sword.

   "One down." Link said as the creature's head was rolling on the ground. This seemed to upset the other two fighters. They let out a fierce roar before jumping high into the air. Link watched as the sword-wielder pointed his weapon downwards. He was planning to impale the Hylian. Link had enough time to look for the other one. It was planning to catch Link if he rolled backwards. So he went forwards instead.

    But the creatures had more maneuverability in the air than Link could guess. As it saw Link roll under his companion, the creature thrust its arms and legs forward. Not only did it stop its momentum, but the force pushed him back. Right on top of Link. It started to come down without a sound, raising its axe above its head.

    It would have been the end of Link had it not been for Saria, who finally came out of her state of shock and remembered who she was. The creature was greatly surprised when it suddenly stopped in mid-air. He looked around and saw that vines had come out of the ground and wrapped themselves around him. One vine yanked the axe from his hands. They started to pull him away from Link, at which point he began to yell. The leader could only watch as a tree root came out of the ground and impaled his soldier. A silence of fear and disbelief reigned for a few moments.

    It was Link who broke the silence.

   "What are you?" he asked the creature as he stood up. His sword and shield were raised. The creature stared and growled at him but he finally spoke.

   "In my land, I am called a Black Warrior."

   "How original," Link said, "Did you do this to our tree?" he gestured towards to the Deku Tree with his head. The Black Warrior looked at it.

   "No," he said, smiling, "My master did."

   "And who is your master?" Saria asked.

   "Count Secras." It answered proudly, "He has come to take over your land and make you all his slaves."

   "He wouldn't be the first." Link said, "Where are you from?"

   "The land of Hesra." the creature replied, "The same land your sailors come from."

   "You know about Captain Goy?" Link asked.

   "Yes," the creature growled, "She has something of my master's. Count Secras wishes to have it back."

   "What does she have?" Saria asked, her curiosity getting the better.

   "Ask her." The Black Warrior said, "But you best hurry. She might already be dead."

   "You don't even know where she is." Link said, having trouble hiding his fear.

   "Does the name Zora's Hall ring a bell?" the Black Warrior asked, smiling. Link could not bear to wait any longer.

   "Saria." The girl brought her hand to her shoulder. They walked away, leaving the Black Warrior on the spike that had come out of the ground.

    Using his Ocarina, Link was standing on the platform underneath the science lab in Great Bay. What he saw made his heart rise to his throat and made his knees weak. Zora's Hall was in ruins. Black smoke covered the sky above. Flames were being doused by the red waves. Link could see the bodies of several Zoras floating in the ocean.

   "I'm too late." Link said.

   "Not exactly." A voice said from far away. Link looked at the shore and saw that the entire meeting room crowd was there. Link thanked the gods as he swam towards them. He rushed into Zelda's arms and kissed her. Saria appeared just as they let go of each other.

   "Oh no." she gasped when she saw Zora's Hall.

   "You weren't even gone five minutes Link," Zelda was explaining, "when he heard an explosion. A Zora came up and told us that we were under attack. We got out just before the real firepower hit us."

   "When we appeared on the shore," Raru said, "We saw many warships. They using canons, arrows and some sort of magical weapon, which did the most damage."

   "How many Zoras escaped?" Link asked.

   "If any of them managed to get out, they would have gone through the back-way." Lulu answered, "They should be halfway to the sister colonies by now."

   "I'm surprised that they destroyed the place." Link said, looking at Teri, "I thought Count Secras wants his possession back." Teri's eyes widened at the mention of the name.

   "How do ye know of him?" she asked.

   "We encountered three Black Warriors in the forest." Link explained, "The leader of the pack told of us a few things before Saria killed him."

   "How did you kill it?" Teri asked in amazement.

   "I am the Forest Sage," Saria said, "You would find it very difficult to beat me on my turf."

   "Then you are extremely powerful," Gerud said, "For even I, with my strength and knowledge in the magical arts, would not have survived the encounter."

   "Back to the present though," Link said, "What is it that Count Secras wants?" Teri paused before digging into her pocket and pulling out a small blue orb.

   "This is what Count Secras seeks," Teri said, "The Orb of the Sea. My land is divided into five parts: the land of fire, forest, wind, sea and light."

   "Sounds familiar." Nabooru said.

   "A temple resides in each part. Within each temple, there lies an orb, which keeps the balance in each land. Removing the orb from the temple disrupts that part of the land."

   "Count Secras was the guardian of the temple of the light," Gerud continued, "He was a brilliant man and kind-hearted. But he decided to journey to the sixth part of Hesra: the shadow part."

   "Nobody knows why he went there. What ever his intentions were when he left, when he came back his intentions were to rule this land. He brought back a huge army of Black Warriors and created many demons of his own. He quickly took the orbs from the Fire and Wind Temples and with their power, took the orb of the Forest as well."

   "What the orb of Light?" Raru asked.

   "The Temple of Light has very strong defenders and it is the only temple that the Black Warriors actually fear." Teri said, "But it may have fallen during our journey." 

   "We took the orb of the Sea because no matter what, the balance would be lost." Gerud asked.

   "I'm going to guess that if Count Secras gets all the orbs, the shadow will consume your land." Link suggested.

   "That's the general idea." Teri said.

   "You said the orb has powers?" Ruto asked after a moment of silence. Teri gave the orb to Gerud. The giant stretched his arm out towards the sea. His began to shake, as if it straining to stay straight. 

    The sea in front of them began to swell. The water rose high into the air. But Gerud's arm fell down and the wave crashed back into the ocean.

   "It can control the sea." Teri explained, "Gerud is the only one strong enough to have any effect on the orb."

   "Can I try?" Ruto asked. Gerud looked at Teri, who nodded her head. He placed he orb in Ruto's hand. She stared at for a moment, then let out a long deep sigh. A column of water shot into the air and then curled and twisted as if it were a snake. It fell back into the sea as Ruto put her arm back down.

   "This makes doing that a lot easier." Ruto said.

   "Cool." Link said while the others stared with open-mouths. Then Link felt a twinge of pain in the back of his head. It was coming from the inside of his head. He turned away from the sea. There was a column of smoke in the horizon.

   "The town!" 


	4. Count Secras

    Epona carried Link swiftly across the field towards Clock Town, which was now burning. Link tried to summon the mysterious owl wings that would transport him to the center of the town, but they never came. He guessed that the statue had been destroyed. Therefore, he played another tune on his ocarina. Epona came as fast as she could, feeling her master's urgency. One of the sages could have brought Link quicker. But the Hero of Time was afraid for their safety, not knowing the strength of the enemy. And the sages' powers were greatly reduced, being so far from their land.

   "Go back to your respected realms and ready your armies for battle." Link said, "They are not going to stop at Clock Town." And with that he sped off.

    As he drew nearer, he could see many Black Warriors surrounding the town, launching arrows of fire, bearing large swords, axes and maces. Some of Clock Towns soldiers managed to get their weapons in time. But Teri's description of the beasts seemed to fit; the resistance quickly fell.

   "There's no way I can take them all on." Link said to himself. He reached into his pocket and found something he had not used in a long time. Returning the item to its original size, Link saw that it was the fierce deity mask that he received years ago when the moon was going to crash onto Clock Town.

   "This might help." Link said. He put the mask on. Instantly his body stiffened. Then it began to expand rapidly. Link's body tripled in size. He was as big as Ganondorf. His blond hair turned white, his eyes went from blue to white. Red and blue strips covered his white face.

    All his weapons went through a transformation as well. The Master Sword grew to twice its length and added another blade. The two blades twisted and crossed each other twice, ending in a point. His shield grew in proportion to his body. So did his bow, but the string was wound very tightly, adding a lot of power to each arrow. 

    But the most astounding transformation was that of Epona. Link had never put the mask on when he rode. He was never in a hurry. But now that he was touching her, the mask was able to work its magic on her. Her red hair became black. So did her mane. She grew in size and in strength. Indeed, when the transformation was complete, even the evil Ganondorf would have trembled.

    Which is why Link was troubled when the Black Warriors came charging at him as soon as they spotted him. Either they knew no fear or they knew nothing of what was coming at them. Four Black Warriors raced towards Link as Epona, with new speed, charged them. The gap between them closed quickly. But Link never gestured towards his sword. He ploughed through the four warriors. One of them was unfortunate enough to fall beneath Epona's hooves. Link heard the crunch of bones. He smiled.

    As he drew near the town, he readied his bow. He put three arrows on the string. He turned his bow so that it was parallel to the ground and released. Each arrow hit one of the Black Warriors that was guarding the Southern door. Epona leapt over them and that's when Link drew his sword.

    The sight that he beheld though filled him with despair. Man, woman and child had been hewed and burned. Most of the survivors were women, which the Black Warriors were raping. The entire town was on fire. Link was filled with great sorrow. That sorrow fueled his wrath. He jumped off of Epona.

   "Die!" he yelled as he hit the ground. The combination of his bulk hitting the ground and his fear-inspiring cry caused everything, from the air to even the bravest of the Black Warriors, to tremble. 

    They were indeed troubled at first but them they looked around. He was one man. They were at least fifty. How could he possibly win? They began to move in on him. When they started to move, Link swung his sword horizontally. It emitted a blue wave of energy. It sliced a dozen of the monsters, enraging the others. They ran at him. Link clashed swords and took the lives of many of the beasts. But they were beginning to overwhelm him. When all seemed hopeless, Link remembered a spell one of the Great Fairies of Hyrule had taught him.

   "Nayru's Love!" he cried. Instantaneously, a blue diamond-shaped box covered Link. No matter how much they tried, the Black Warriors could not pierce through the spell. When they were starting to get annoyed, Link raised his hand high in the air. The Black Warriors stopped, wondering what the giant would do next. Link closed his hand into a fist and punched the ground. A wave of fire escaped from his body, incinerating most of the creatures. Those that did not die immediately screamed horribly for a few seconds before their hearts stopped from the shock and they silently to the ground. 

    Link surveyed the area. Only a few Black Warriors managed to escape Din's Fire. They were now fleeing through the North Gate. Once he was sure he was safe, Link removed his mask. His body and face returned to normal. Epona regained her red hair and her white mane. She was quite happy.

    As he looked for survivors, storm clouds grew overhead and wept. It rained heavily, dousing the fires. Link looked up, wondering if this was Ruto's doing. There had not been a cloud in the sky before. 

   "I do believe it is your friend that is doing this." A voice said. It sounded light and polite. But Link could sense the evil within this man.

   "Count Secras." Link said, spotting the white-haired man clad in black robes.

   "I see ye have met Captain Goy." Secras said, walking towards Link.

   "Yes," Link said, "She told me your favorite color was black, despite your upbringing." Secras laugh.

   "I believe black suits my nature now." Secras said, stepping over one his warriors.

   "Black is usually associated with evil." Link said grimily.

   "From where ye stand," Secras said, walking around Link, "I see ye as the evil one."

   "I tried to save innocent lives." Link said, pointing his sword at Secras, "You took them."

   "There is bound to be loss of innocent life in a war." Secras said, waving his hand carelessly.

   "We were never part of your war."

   "Oh but ye are," Secras stopped, looking into Link's eyes, "Ever since ye decided to house those scoundrels, ye became my enemy as well."

   "I know what you're after," Link said suddenly, "You're not getting it back," he raised his shield and tightened his body, "And you'll be giving back the other orbs."

   "Unfortunately I left the orbs in the temple of the Shadow back in Hesra." Secras said, "I'm afraid I can't them to ye."  

    And Link said, "Then I'll just kill you." He swiped at the Count, but he had already disappeared.

   "Even with your mask on, you will find it quite difficult to touch me, let alone defeat me." Secras said. He was now floating ten feet above Link's head.

   "Your friends have taken the remaining sailors to a castle in the other land," Secras said, "Ye should join, once ye regain all your possessions."

   "What do you mean by that?" Link asked. In answer, Secras waved his hand. Link's sword and shield flew from his hand. His bow and quiver came off his back. Everything he had in his pockets was taken out. Everything he used in combat was floating above him. With another wave of his hand, Secras sent all of Link's items far over the walls of Clock Town.

   "And now for ye." He waved his hand again. Link yelped as he was lifted off the ground. And with a flick of Secras hand, Link found he was flying towards Ikana canyon. As he came close to the canyon, his head clipped one of the walls. He passed out.

    When Link finally awoke, he was at the entrance of Stone Temple. He looked down and saw the hundred foot drop. Link figured this was part of Count Secras game but he wondered how he was going to get down. The ocarina of time was lost as his longshot. He thought of using a bow and shoot an arrow with a rope attached to it, but he had lost that too. He was weaponless and therefore, powerless. 

   "I'm going to be stuck here for a long time." Link thought. 

    Three years ago, he found a secret passageway underneath Hyrule castle. He found after falling through a rotted part of the floor. Exploring the passageway, he found a small room with many scrolls. Many spoke of future events. One scroll was entirely dedicated to Link. It spoke of a great power hidden within him. The scroll described how the Hero of Time was able to control time and space with the power of his mind. And since he was in league with the sages, Link was supposed to share some of their powers as well. But Link never discovered those powers and never really searched for them, thinking he would never have any use of them. He sorely regretted that decision now.

    Link sat down on the ground, pulled his knees close and buried his head in them. He began to weep. He had never felt so helpless and alone, even when he confronted Ganondorf as a child. But now, all his power was gone. And Count Secras was heading towards Hyrule Castle. That was where Zelda's powers were strongest but Count Secras would probably too much for her. Link felt the power surge within the wizard. It did not take even a fraction of the Count's power to do this to him.

    After a while, Link stopped weeping. He wiped the tears from his face and stood. He decided that perhaps the giant within Stone Temple would be able to hear him if he yelled loud enough. He walked through the entrance.

    Link was standing in a great room. It was immense, with stone walls enclosing it. Images of past battles, beasts and persons, were engraved in the stone. There were two doors in the room, leading further into the temple. In the middle of the room, too high to reach for Link, two beams of wood met, leading to other doors, which were upside down. Link looked up and saw a red sky. The sun was setting. 

    Link moved to the center of the room. He hoped the giant would be able to hear him from her. Before he called, he remembered that the giants spoke in a strange language. Tatl, his fairy friend in Termina, had to translate for him. But Link was desperate.

   "Hello!" Link yelled at the top of his lungs, "Giant of the West, Guardian of Stone Temple. I need your help to get back down. I know this a rather stupid thing to ask of you, but I'm out of options. I have lost everything that could have possibly helped me back down is lost. And I'm in a hurry; an evil force is about to attack the castle of my land. This is the same enemy that destroyed Clock Town." Upon these words, Link heard a strange cry. It lasted for a long time and Link could hear the sadness in the voice. He also felt the fury hidden beneath.

    A shadow fell on Link. He looked up and saw a hand fall upon him. It gently scooped him up and the hand rose high into the air. There was the giant, standing outside of the temple. Link looked at the head of the giant, which was the entire body. He had no chest or neck. His legs joined at the back of the head. His arms sprouted from its cheeks. The giant's skin was orange while his hair was white. A thick mustache grew under his large nose. He had a long beard, longer than the last time Link had seen him. Right now, Link was focused on the black eyes staring at, which were small compared to the rest of the giant. 

    Link could not turn away from those eyes. His voice refused to utter any sound. It was as if the eyes commanded him not to move or speak. After a few minutes of staring, Link's body warmed up. A strange energy stirred within Link's spirit. He continued to look into the giant's eyes. The energy grew stronger, but Link was not disturbed by it. He barely felt. Then a weight of some sort was lifted off his shoulders. The world seemed brighter. He could hear whispers from all over Termina. He felt as if he were a part of everything and everything was a part of him. When the giant finally broke the bond and set Link down, the Hero of Time had truly been awakened. Link thanked the giant and left the temple. 

    He ran towards the edge of the cliff. Without thinking twice about what he was doing, he dove into the air. He kept his pointed straight at the ground. When he was twenty feet from the ground, the wind began to blow. It blew so hard that it slowed Link's descent. He landed softly on his feet and exited Stone Tower. 

    Outside, he started to run. Rockville had begun to be populated again once the evil had been lifted. The townsfolk saw the blurred image of a man run through their town. Two seconds later, a gust of wind shook Rockville. Link reached the cliff and jumped off again. This time he hit the ground running. Later, people wondered who could have possibly made such a deep footprint.

    Seconds later, Link was running across the open fields of Termina. As he ran, Epona came to his side. Though he never voiced it, Epona had heard the call of her master. Link jumped on and Epona pressed on at a speed that had never been seen before. Link guided Epona towards Woodfall. He entered the woods and headed for the river. There was a witch sitting up in a hut by the river. She was astounded to see a horse run on water. Link soon came to the Deku Palace. 

    To the left of the entrance, there were three monkeys, looking at something. It was the Master Sword. They heard Link approach and turned their gaze towards him. Link turned Epona and started to ride away. But just before he disappeared, Link stretched his hand out. The sword shook first, scaring the monkeys away, and then shot out of the ground. It flew straight into Link's hand. 

    Using his newly found powers, Link stretched out his mind's eye and searched for his shield. All he needed before encountering Secras again was his sword and shield. He scanned all of Termina and could not find it anywhere. He found this odd and searched for it in Hyrule. He quickly found it. Five hundred Black warriors were marching towards Hyrule Castle. They had not passed the drawbridge yet. Floating above this host was Count Secras. And attached to one arm was Link's shield.

   "Of course," Link thought, "My shield is the only thing that can reflect Zelda's attacks. The others also use energy attacks, but they are weak compared to Zelda's." Epona had already ridden into Termina field, but Link feared that by slowing down time more would tire the both of them. And Link would need all his strength to fight Count Secras. And he still did not know how to teleport. That was not included in the package. Most of the abilities that the sages possessed, Link did not know. With time, he would learn them. But now, Link made Epona continue to run at the same pace. He hoped that not too many lives would be lost.   


	5. To Attack a Castle

   "So that is Count Secras?" Zelda said, seeing the floating man above the black mass.

   "Unfortunately, yes." Teri said, looking through the telescope, "He brings the shadow with him and therefore his power is at its peak where ever he may go."

   "In that case, we should have no problem defeating him." Raru said, "Both Zelda and I use the power of the light and to some extent, so do the other sages. I worry only about the Black Warriors."

   "Indeed, they worry my men as well." A gruff voice said, "They fear them more than the living dead that walked this town during Ganondorf's reign." Zelda turned and saw her father approach.

   "You should be inside." She said as the king leaned on the ledge, "I can take charge."

   "This is my castle and therefore I am in command." The king said, "I'm not running this time."

   "You may have to," Impa said, "Because Count Secras may be tougher than we thought." Zelda searched for an explanation from the Sage of Shadow, but she gave none. Zelda used her far-reaching eyes and looked closely at Count Secras. And she understood what she meant. On Secras' right arm was a shield.

   "Link's shield." She said, not realizing what this meant. Then her words reached her own mind and her breath caught in her throat. "No." she whimpered.

   "The mirror shield?" Raru asked.

   "I see it now." Ruto cried.

   "That does not mean…?" Darunia asked.

   "Perhaps not." Impa said. Then after a pause, "At least I hope not." 

    A guard came rushing towards them.

   "Your highness," he said, "They are within range of our archers."

   "When you are ready." The king said. The soldier bowed and ran off. Moments later, the first arrows were shot. Most of the Black Warriors raised their shields. But some arrows managed to catch some of them off-guard. With that, their infantry charged, while their own archers fired back. Their skill with the bow was incredible. Many of the castle's archers fell. Only five archers were left out of thirty.

    Meanwhile, the majority of the host was rushing towards the moat. Some of them stopped and threw ropes with hooks on their ends at the walls. They were about to climb when the drawbridge started to lower.

   "What's going on?" the king demanded. 

   "The Count is a very learned wizard." Teri said.

    Once the drawbridge was down, the Black Warriors raced across. The Hylian soldiers were there to greet them. They collided and the battle began.

   "They won't last long." Gerud said. Then he started to walk away.

   "Where are ye going?" Teri asked.

   "To help them as much as I can." He said. He started to run. Zelda was following.

   "He has the best idea." She said. The other sages hesitated, and then followed.

   "I shall not hide this time." The king said, drawing his sword.

   "Kill one of them for me." Gerud said to Zelda.

   "I will kill several for you and the others." Zelda said.

   "I need a weapon." The giant explained.

   "Shouldn't you have thought of that before you went rushing into battle?"

   "Black Warrior swords are made of strong metal. I examined the weapons ye have. They are very weak."

   "Now you tell us this." Zelda said.

   "Would there have been time to forge new weapons?" Gerud asked. Zelda did not answer. Instead, she opened her hand. A Black Warrior was about to take the head of one of her soldiers. She yanked the sword from his grasp and put it in Gerud's hand.

   "Wield it well." Zelda said, flicking her wrist. The Black Warrior flew into the air and crashed into a building.

   "I shall." He stopped to block a blow from one of the creatures. Zelda continued to walk through the mass. She cleared a path for herself by pushing the warriors aside with just her mind. There was one that just would not get out of her way. After she pushed him for the second time, Zelda sent a stream of light through the creature's stomach. Black blood filled its mouth and the hole. It fell to the ground silently. With that, she walked on past the mass and onto the drawbridge.

    Once across she stood under Count Secras. The count had been watching her approach and he was quite impressed. Never had he seen a lady with such beauty or power. When she was close, Secras floated down to Earth.

   "One who moves with such grace and possess such beauty can only be a princess." Secras said flatteringly.

   "And one with a black heart such as yours, must be killed." Zelda said bitterly.

   "Come, come princess." The count said, "Such a harsh tone should not be used between us."

   "I see not why." Zelda said.

   "Princess, surely in all your wisdom ye can see that we need not fight this battle. In fact," Count Secras lifted a hand. All the Black Warriors retreated. The Hylian soldiers did not pursue. "I must admit that I was rather rash in my actions. I see know that it may be possible to resolve this problem in a civilized fashion."

   "I'm afraid that is not possible." Zelda said.

   "And why is that?" Count Secras asked.

   "You came to my land because Captain Goy fled you land with the orb of the sea. You need that orb to complete your domination of the land. And in all in the name of evil."

   "But why should this concern ye?" Secras asked.

   "Because the sailors have asked for our help and we are giving it. And now that you know of Hyrule and Termina, why should your control be limited to just Hesra? With your power, you can take our lands as well."

   "Then," Secras said, "ye should not be fighting me, for my power is far greater than yours."

   "You have no idea of the powers I wield." Zelda said.

   "Then let's see." And with a wave of his hand, a gust of wind blew Zelda into the air. But she stopped her movement and floated in the air. She shot a bolt of light at Secras. He lifted the mirror shield and the bolt bounced back. Zelda ducked under her attack.

   "That shield does not belong to you." She said.

   "Oh, but I'm afraid it does." He replied. His arm went back to his side.

    And he felt an incredible pain surge through his arm. He cried out, startled and scared as the pain intensified. He looked at his arm and saw a golden glove clasped around his arm.

   "Forgot that I had these in storage." Link said.

   "How did ye get back?" Secras tried to ask, but Link had taken his shield back and threw the Count into the ground. He clasped the shield and then he walked towards the Black Warriors. They were moving to defend their master. Link stopped when he was fifty feet away from the first line.

   "Let's see what happens to your swords and shields after a hundred years." There was the sound of metal breaking. The warriors' swords and shields had rusted. Just by breathing could they be broken. Link turned around and walked back towards Count Secras, who managed to stand up again. He was clutching his right arm.

   "Ye did not have these powers when we first met." Secras said through gritted teeth.

   "No," Link said, "But thanks to you, I was able to unlock a good portion of it."

   "Ye still can not defeat me." The count said, "For I have the power of the orbs within me." Link felt the ground beneath him shake. He did a flip backwards just as the ground opened up and a wall of fire roared up. As he landed, the wind picked up. Link was lifted into the air. As he rose, he saw vines growing rapidly from the ground. They were coming for him. 

   "Well, this is interesting." Link said. He drew his sword and pointed it upwards. The Master Sword flashed and the vines turned to dust. Then the blade flashed again and the soles of his boots turned to iron. He fell quickly to the ground. He returned his soles to normal, but the wind was still blowing. 

    It was then that a shadow went around the wall of fire. It picked Secras up and flung him into the air. The wall of fire rose higher still and a column of water erupted close by. The fire was burning Secras when the water knocked him back down to the ground. 

    Link was on his feet and turned his attention to the Black Warriors. They had not moved since their master had started to attack. Link caught Zelda's eye. He pointed at the Black Warriors. They were still at least four and a half hundred Black Warriors. But they were all bunched together. Taking a deep breath, she focused all her energy into her hands. With a cry, she launched a ball of light at the Black Warriors. They looked up, but saw it too late. They all perished in the explosion.

   "That's the end of one threat." Zelda said, gasping for breath. Link smiled at her and turned back to Count Secras. He lay in a heap on the ground. He could not stand. He tried to get to his feet, but they abandoned him and fell again. He pushed himself up on one arm and seemed to mutter something, before falling again.

   "And so ends the other threat." Link said as he came back into town with the remaining Hylian soldiers, "Thank you for your aid." He was talking to the soldiers.

   "Once again, it was a true pleasure to fight alongside you brother." Darunia said, hugging Link tightly.

   "Darunia," Link said in a squished voice, "Your hugs will forever be the strongest force." They laughed as Darunia let go of Link. He turned and saw Zelda staggering towards them. Link rushed to her side.

   "I'm sorry," he said, picking her up, "I can't believe I left you up there."

   "Don't worry about it." Zelda said in a tired voice, "I didn't fall, so I have nothing to blame you with." She looked at Teri, who had tears welling in her eyes, "Your land is free again." Teri was about to say something but a voice interrupted her.

   "But yours is not." The familiar voice said. They stared in horror as he came forward. He had the same black armor and the same red hair grew to his neck. The only difference was that he wielded a giant sword.

   "So this is the man ye all confused me with." Gerud said, "I see not how. His heart is far darker than mine can ever be."

   "Who are you?" Ganondorf asked, pointing at Gerud.

   "I am Gerud of Hesra, guardian of the Sea Temple of Hesra." Gerud replied.

   "Hesra?" Ganondorf asked, but he did not seem truly surprised, "Count Secras mentioned that land and that sailors had come from there. He never mentioned a guardian though."

   "How was he able to tell you this?" Link said, who had given Zelda to her father. He now had his sword drawn.

   "By mail." Ganondorf said, sneering, "He also told me about two things that could greatly increase my power."

   "For the moment, your power is nothing compared to mine." Link said, tightening his grip on his sword.

   "Hm, I know of the boost you got kid." said Ganondorf, "But I've figured out most of the secrets behind the Triforce of Power. I can't take the other two pieces," he raised his hand to his face, "But I can make you beg to give it to me." He closed his hand into a fist. That unleashed a wave of air that knocked everyone, even Gerud to the ground. Ganondorf leapt onto Ruto. He crushed her wrist and took the orb as she withered in pain. Then he leapt high into the air, disappearing behind the castle walls.

   Link was the first back on his feet. Leaving Ruto in the care of the others, he gave chase. When he was outside, he saw Ganondorf bent over Secras' corpse. He stood and in his hands was four orbs.

   "I shall claim the fifth one, once I find a very special mask." And with that he disappeared into the air. Link ran after him. Epona wanted to follow but her master forbade it.

   "I need stealth more than anything." He said. With that, he left slowing down time so that he could keep up with Ganondorf. All the while he wondered what mask he could be referring to. 


	6. Majon

    The sages and the remaining sailors watched as Ganondorf flew into the horizon and Link chased him from below. They disappeared over a rise five minutes after they had set out. Zelda continued to stare for a few more minutes before her gaze saw the bodies of some of the Hylian soldiers.

   "We have suffered a great loss." She said, ending the silence.

   "Indeed we have," her father said.

   "I am sorry that we brought this upon ye." Teri said, her head hanging heavily.

   "No need to apologize," Zelda said, facing Teri, "We agreed to assist you, knowing the danger that was to come. The one who should be apologizing is Count Secras."

   "But he has paid for his crimes." Her father added.

   "Not all of them," Raru said, "He has released Ganondorf, who has taken the orbs of Hesra. And he still bears the Triforce of Power."

   "And he broke my wrist." Ruto muttered.

   "Let me see that." Saria said, gently moving Ruto's hand.

   "What is this Triforce?" Gerud asked.

   "It has the same purpose as your orbs." Impa explained, "It keeps the land of Hyrule in balance. It was a gift of the gods that created this land: Din, Farore and Nayru. It is said that whoever claims the Triforce will be granted a wish. If the person is of pure-heart, Hyrule will follow a path of enlightenment and prosperity. If the person is an evil heart, Hyrule will plunge into darkness."

   "Several years ago Ganondorf managed to reach the Triforce." Raru continued, "But seeing that he was evil, the Triforce broke into three pieces: power, wisdom and courage. Ganondorf managed to retain the Triforce of power and devastated Hyrule for seven years until the bearers of the other Triforce pieces were reunited."

   "I guess that Link bears the Triforce of courage." Teri said.

   "Exactly," Raru confirmed, "And Zelda possesses the Triforce of wisdom." 

   "But returning to the problem at hand," Ruto interrupted, getting to her feet, "Ganondorf has the orbs and the Triforce of power. It should make him invincible but he now seeks this mask that Count Secras mentioned."

   "Only one mask that I can think that would suit Ganondorf, but Link burned it two years ago." Zelda said.

   "What mask is that?" Gerud asked. Teri was the only one to detect a hint of fear in his question.

   "Majora's Mask." Zelda replied. Gerud's eyes widened.

   "Fire can burn it, but cannot destroy it." Gerud said.

    Ganondorf was flying over Termina now. He had lost Link back in Hyrule, just before entering. Ganondorf had dove below the tree line and twisted and turned between the trees. Link tried to keep up, but it was hopeless. Epona, who refused to be left behind, could not keep up with the Dark Lord. Which meant Ganondorf had plenty of time to claim his prize before Link picked up his trail again.

    Or so he thought. He was about to enter the highlands of Termina when he heard the snort of a horse and the cry of man urging the beast on. Ganondorf spun around and saw Link's green hat in the distance. His face twisted into an ugly snarl as Link closed the gap between them. Ganondorf knew he was slower than Link now that the hero had tapped into his powers. He needed to slow the little one down.

    With a wave of his hand, Ganondorf summoned an army of Staflos; skeleton warriors with a fierce need to kill the living. There were fifty in all. Praying that it would hold the hero off, the Dark Lord headed into the mountains.

    Link was not at all surprised to see the Staflos appear. However, Epona was quite startled. She reared up just as one of the skeletons grew from the ground in front of her. She caught Link by surprise, throwing him off with tremendous force. He landed face down behind her. Link managed to raise his eyes just in time to see Epona run away.

   "You're becoming more of a coward in your old age!" Link cried after her. He rose slowly to his feet, brushing the dirt off of him as the un-dead army encircled him.

    When they were in striking distance, Link drew his sword. The first line of Staflos charged. To Link, they appeared to be moving an inch every minute. He had plenty of time to focus some of his magic into his weapon. The sword glowed blue, then orange. As the enemy moved in for the kill, Link extended his arm with the glowing sword and spun on one foot. The energy released from the blade destroyed the majority of the Staflos. When the energy dissipated, only four remained. 

    They were not fazed by the sudden destruction of their comrades. They were, in fact, quite angry. They leapt into the air and dove at Link. But the Hero of Time used one of his new powers. Walls of stone rose up to protect him. He could hear bones break as the Staflos crashed into the walls. Link walked around one wall and found a headless Staflos. It swung widely. Link blocked one of the blows, pulled his sword over his head and cut the Staflos vertically in two. 

    The other three still had their heads on. However, one was missing an arm and the other two were missing a leg. Link charged them and with three quick swipes, that would have been missed if one were to blink, destroyed the last of the Staflos. 

    Once he was sure that his enemies remained in pieces, Link sheathed his sword and ran up the mountains.

   "So you're saying Link never destroyed the mask?" Zelda asked.

   "No," Gerud replied, "It has been greatly damaged I'm sure, but not destroyed."

   "The mask contains the spirit of the demon Majora." Teri explained, "It was he who created the Shadow Land of Hesra. He wished for total control of Hesra but his plans were foiled by Oni, a disciple of the light."

   "Oni managed to banish Majora into a mask." Gerud continued, "But the demon managed to do the same to Oni."

   "If this Ganondorf finds Majora's Mask," said Teri, "We will be facing a very powerful foe. With the orbs, he will be invincible."

   "Link actually fought and defeated Majora's mask as a child." Zelda said after a pause.

   "How does one fight a mask?" Gerud ask.

   "If someone dons the mask, the demon within starts to take some of the wearers energy." Teri answered.

   "That's exactly what happened." Zelda said, "The mask turned into something called Majora's Wrath."

   "I know of this." said Gerud, "It is slightly weaker than Majora himself. Still, his wrath is quite powerful. If Link defeated it, he is stronger than he lets on to be."

   "I don't know," Teri said, "It was by luck that he survived his shadow."

   "How do you know about that?" Zelda asked. Teri stopped, realizing she had said too much. 

   "We sent it." Gerud replied. Teri shot a menacing look at her friend.

   "You sent it!" Zelda exclaimed, "Do you know how close you came to killing him?" 

   "If he could not defeat the warrior that we made, he would never have stood a chance against the Black Warriors." Gerud countered. Zelda stared at him, aghast.

   "You knew they were coming." She said.

   "Indeed," Teri replied, "we did. We did not want to frighten ye."

   "Innocent people died because you did not want to frighten me." Zelda said. An aura of light started to surround her. Raru placed a warning hand on her shoulder. The light disappeared at his touch.

   "It is too late to get angry," he said, "I believe we should be more concerned with our new problem." Zelda gave him a confused look.

   "What new problem?" The sudden earthquake answered her question. The ground shook so violently that it threw them all to their knees.

   "What's happening?" the king cried.

    Link reached the Goron village when he felt the earth shake. He fell as the tremors intensified. A crack ran through the mountains. But the whole thing lasted five seconds. Link looked around him, making sure that the tremors had not triggered an avalanche. It was winter and the snowfall had been heavy.

    When he saw that he was in no danger from any natural sources, he headed to the Goron Shrine. The guard saw him coming and immediately opened the door for him.

   "Have you seen Ganondorf?" Link asked as he stopped at the door.

   "Yes, he flew towards the temple." The guard answered, obviously shaken.

   "Do you know of any mask that is hidden up there?" asked Link. The guard was about to answer in the negative when they felt it. At first it was barely noticeable. Link thought it was nothing until he felt it again a few seconds later. The ground was shaking and at regular intervals.

   "Something is coming towards us." Link said, drawing his sword and shield. There was another rumbling step. "Something big." The guard began to tremble. Link continued to stare down the path the steps were coming from. There was nothing there yet.

   "Evacuate the city." Link said finally. Without a word, the guard ran inside. A minute later, a horn was blown. All the Gorons in the village fled from their homes and headed towards the fields.    

    Link did not budge from where he stood. The Gorons ran or rolled around him. As the last Goron left, Link saw a shadow on the path. And then he saw something that chilled his blood more than the coldest day.

    It was a monster of at least forty feet in height. It had a long snout with rows of razor teeth. Its eyes were completely red while its hide was a variety of purple, blue, red and a little yellow on its chest. Its muscular arms had long claws at the end of them and a purple tentacle attached at the wrist. Its feet had claws longer than the Master sword. And at the end of it all was a tail that ended with a scythe. 

    As Link debated whether or not he should run, he looked at the monster's chest again. The little bit of yellow that it had on its chest were eyes. That's when Link noticed the green on the beast as well. Link slowly traced the design that was in the skin of the creature. And when he finally saw the entire outline, the blood drained from his face and his feet were as cold as the snow around him.

   "There's no way." He said. It came out as a weak whisper, but the beast had incredible hearing. It stopped when the path became to narrow for it.

   "Ah," it said in a growling voice, "but there is."

   "I destroyed it!" Link cried.

   "No, you wounded it." the beast said. "But never destroyed it. And for your foolishness, you stand in the presence of Majon."  With a great cry, the monster broke through into the village. "Kneel before me, Hero," Majon commanded, "And I may show mercy."

   "I kneeled to neither of you alone," Link said, regaining his courage, "And I will not kneel when you are together."

   "Then suffer the consequences of your arrogence!" Majon roared and brought his great hand down. Link slowed time, but Majon had incredible speed. Link had enough time to roll out of the way. The fist crashed into the ground. Snow and rock flew into the air. Link got to his feet. But he quickly realized that it would have been better to stay down. For as he rose, Majon's tentacle started to wiggle. When Link stood to his full height, the tentacle lashed out and hit him in the chest. The force of the blow propelled him twenty yards away into the stone -wall. He was winded, but still conscious.

    Link wondered when he gravity would kick in, but he was so far in the wall that he was able to stand. Link jumped from his hole to the ground. That's when he noticed his sword was missing. As Majon withdrew his hand from the ground, Link saw the Master sword. He had dropped it after the blow. Calling the sword to him, the blade left the ground and flew towards. But it caught Majon's attention, and the beast lashed out at Link with his tentacles. The Hylian managed to catch his weapon and slash one of the tentacles, then roll under the second one. 

    When Link rose, he realized he stood no chance. He was not used to his new powers and they finally to take their toll on him. He could barely hold his sword. And not only was this beast a fusion of Ganon and Majora, but it had the Triforce of Power and the five orbs of Hesra. On top of all that, it had the ability to regenerate body parts.

   "Thank Farore I have an emergency exit." Link said as Majon's tentacle grew back. He raised his arms into the air.

   "Farore's Wind!" he yelled. A green light swallowed him up and in an instant he was gone.

    After the tremors, the Sages, the king and his counselors and the remaining sailors moved into the king's throne room. There the king sat in his rightful place. Though Zelda had the seat to his left, she decided to remain standing with the Sages.

   "So," the king started once everyone had entered, "Ganondorf has Majora's mask." 

   "Correct." Raru said.

   "He found up in the mountains of Termina." Darunia said, "I can hear my people crying in fear."

   "My people are also swim in fear," Ruto said, "The ones in Termina are descending to the havens they have built far and deep into the sea. The ones from Hyrule are waiting for Link."

   "The people of Kakkariko village ask for protection behind the castle walls." Impa said. 

   "Tell them to come immediately if they want protection." The king said. Impa nodded, then fell into a trance of some sort.

   "In the mean time," the king continued, "What of the Gerudos?"

   "They are torn." Nabooru explained, "They do not know if they should follow me or their king."

   "Persuade them to join us." Raru said, "I fear we will need all the soldiers we can get."

   "I agree," said the king, "Ganondorf alone is an impressive foe. We do not need more enemies."

   "Since the death of Count Secras, the Great Deku Tree has returned to normal." Saria finally spoke up.

   "Good to hear, but what can the forest do for us?" the king asked.

   "You would be surprised your highness." Saria said, without any threat.

    The king turned to Raru, "Anything else you can do for us?"

   "I shall fight," Raru said, "I also have three creatures which I have yet to release. They may be able to help us."

   "Very well then," the king turned to his daughter, "If you wish to leave this battlefield, do so now."

   "You are joking?" Zelda asked, raising an eyebrow.

   "Of course." The king said, "I thought a little bit of humor would be good even in this dark time." He chuckled. Zelda just smiled.

    Then the king's face grew serious, "Now, where is Link?" 

    In answer, the throne room doors were thrown open. Link stumbled through them, dragging his sword and shield behind him.

   "You might," Link panted, "want to run." He took in one last breath, before he passed out and collapsed.   


	7. Welcome To Hesra

    The Sea Land of Hesra was composed of many cities, but the jewel of the land was the City of Fernad. It was named after a man of great knowledge and wisdom. He was the one who unlocked the secrets of the orb of the sea and was capable of using all its powers. The city was the largest of the land, spanning a distance of ten miles from its center. Magnificent houses were built within its protective walls. The City of Fernad also had the largest port. Ships of all sizes docked at its piers. Trade ships from the lands of Holodrum, Labyranna, Dundas, and recently Middle-Earth.

    The walls stretched out into the sea. There was a war about thirty years ago. The inhabitants of the Shadow Land tried to take the Sea Land. All their land attempts failed, so they tried an unexpected route. The Black Warriors would have broken through had it not been for Count Secras, who used the orb of the sea and destroyed the Shadow's armada.

    Borin, captain of the guard, was patrolling the seaside wall. He enjoyed this part of his duty the most. Like everyone of his land, he had a profound love for the ocean. But he wished to look at it only. He had never set foot on a ship. He did dive into the water, but only to bathe. It troubled his family, but they saw that he was content and did not pursue the matter.

    On this day, the bay was very busy. The annual feast was coming, to celebrate the City of Fernad's one hundred and fortieth birthday. Fishing ships skipped across the waves, trying to find the food. Merchant ships were arriving from the distant lands, bringing gifts and decorations. 

    Looking at the ships, Borin sighed in disappointment. Captain Goy's ship was not among them. Borin and Teri had been friends since they were children. Though Borin wished their friendship, he knew there was no way to calm Teri's adventurous spirit. Borin did not enjoy adventures as much, which is why he could never understand Teri's long voyages. Usually he did not mind. But Teri usually was away when it was feast time. And whenever she was there, it was a night to remember.

    The captain continued to stare out at sea, recalling the last time Teri was at the feast, when one of his men came running to him.

   "Sir," he said, agitated, "Ye best come see this." Borin came out of his trance and looked at the soldier.

   "What is it?" Borin asked.

   "I don't know," the soldier replied, "but it's big. We judge it to be at least twenty leagues away." Curious, but sensing no danger, Borin followed the guard to the east wall. As they ran, Borin noted that it was the same direction that Teri took when she left six months ago.

    When they stopped, there were several other soldiers leaning on the wall, looking at the thing approaching them. They moved aside when they saw their captain. Borin followed his men gazes, and saw something quickly approaching them. As he stared, something clattered to the floor. He looked down and saw a telescope. One of his men had dropped. That man was now trembling.

    Borin picked up the telescope and looked through it. What he saw nearly made him drop it as well.

   "Majora!" he yelled, "It's Majora!" He quickly shouted some orders to his scattering men. A bell was rung. A horn was blown. Some of the guards ran into the city, warning the people. Soldiers were called to defend their city. Borin remained where he stood, looking at the fast approaching beast. When he could see the mask on the monster's chest, he knew he was going to die.

    Link had been asleep for two days. He lay in one of the beds in the medical wing of the castle. Zelda sat by his bedside all the second day. They had learned that Majon had left Termina the day before. 

   "He will be in control by the time we arrive." Teri said once she heard.

    She decided to return to her land. Though the sailors were guaranteed safety if they stayed, they knew that danger would soon come for them.

   "We cannot bear the wait." Teri explained, "And we cannot bear to let our friends suffer while we enjoy freedom, even if it is short-lived."

    The sailors were to set sail the second day after Majon left. It was on this day that Link awoke.

   "So he's gone?" was the first thing he said when he saw Zelda sitting next to him. She was not startled or confused by the question.

   "He has." She replied softly.

   "And the sailors?" 

   "In a few hours." Zelda said, "Teri will wait until sundown. She wants to say good-bye to you."

   "And when will the doctors let me get up?"

   "Whenever you want." She laughed when Link sat up quickly.

   "Now, that's a first." He said, "There's nothing wrong with me?"

   "Oh there are plenty of things that are wrong with you." Zelda said, "Your sanity for instance."

   "Hey!"

   "But the doctors know they can't keep you in bed no matter what they say." Zelda continued, "So they gave up."

   "Suddenly I'm suspicious." Link said after a pause. Zelda burst into a new fit of giggles as Link got out of bed.

    Teri was standing on the shore. The sun was casting its dying lights over her as her crew readied the ship for departure. By the captain's commands, they did it slowly. But even at snail's pace, they would be done before nightfall. Teri knew she could not keep her men waiting. A cry from the ship told her that time was up. She would not see Link again. Teri climbed aboard. The plank was pulled in and they set sail.

    It was a few hours after nightfall that they heard it. At first Teri thought it was the ship splashing. But then she realized that although it was a splashing sound, it was not the ship. Perhaps a fish. She had no idea how close she was.

    She looked back at Termina, the beautiful land she left behind. She was sorry to have left it. Termina was just as beautiful as her own land, but in different ways. There were not as many cities and travelers. The people were far more calm and kind. And above all, Teri felt that the land was at peace; that the people who lived there, did so without fear.

    Gerud came up to her as quietly as he could and placed a giant hand on her shoulder. He was sad as well for leaving Termina. But he also felt proud that he was able to leave it and help Hesra, where death seemed certain. Never before had his courage been tested to this point. Nor had the rest of the crew. Gerud was proud for himself, the crew and especially his captain.

    "I know how you feel." Gerud said. Teri continued to gaze as Termina faded into the darkness.

    "I hope so," Teri said, "Otherwise I would be worried about ye."

    "Ye know Link's heart was with the princess." Gerud said, looking deeper into Teri's heart. She looked at him without turning her head.

    "I know and I accept it." Teri said after a pause, "But I can't help wondering what it might have been."

    "Well I must say I'm pleased to hear that." A voice said, then there was a splash. Teri jerked her head over the rail and saw something white and brown underwater. It leapt into the air. Teri saw it was a Zora carrying a brown bag.

    "But I'm afraid it would not have worked out for numerous reasons." It said while in the air. Then it fell into the water again. It came up a third time.

    "It doesn't seem so now." The zora went underwater again and disappeared for a moment. Then Teri could see it was coming straight up. It flew out of the water, over Gerud's head and landed squarely on the deck.

    "But I can feel it." It said. Teri stared at the creature, cemented to where she stood. Gerud was not as impressed.

    "Who are ye?" he demanded.

    "Right now," the zora said, "I am Mikau, the guitarist for the Indigo-Go's, and the zora champion." He put his hands to his face. A light erupted from his face, blinding the crew momentarily. 

    "Now," the zora said, "You know who I am." When Teri could see again, she gasped.

    "Link!" she cried, running into his arms.

    "I heard what you said," Link said after a pause, "And you certainly heard what I said." Teri nodded, still holding on to Link.

    "But I can make it up to you." He continued, "If you let me stay onboard." Teri let go of him.

    "What?"

    "Hope you don't mind," the Hylian added, "but if it took you six months by ship, I think I would get tired pretty quickly trying to swim it. Even if I used all my bag of tricks." Teri stared at him for a few seconds before bursting out into laughter.

    "I believe that is a yes." Gerud said, smiling now.

    "Yes of course," Teri said, "Welcome aboard Link."

    "Good." Link reached into his bag, "Speaking of bag of tricks," he pulled out a bottle that appeared to be empty, "Here's my first trick. I suggest you get everyone below before I open this."

    "What is it?" Teri asked.

    "A gift from the sages." Link replied, "They figured out how far Hesra was and decided to speed up our journey. Six months from now, Majon might be a little tougher to beat." He paused, "Which scares me because I barely nicked him before he took me out."

    "You were tired then." Gerud said.

    "True." He lifted his hand up, "I also didn't have this." Two triangles glowed from his hand. The crew was awed. The glowing stopped and Link rested his hand.

    "Once we get close enough, I'll be able to take the triforce of power away from Majon. That will weaken him greatly."

    "This is great." Teri said. The sailors cheered. Link let them applaud before raising the bottle.

    "Thanks, but now get downstairs. If this works like it should, we'll be walking on the shores of Hesra tomorrow just in time for lunch." Teri told them to do as Link said. They went down the stairs. Link was the last one.

    "Sages' wind, give us speed." He whispered. And he threw the bottle at the mast. As the bottle shattered and a great wind caught the sails, Link closed the door.


	8. The Triforce

    Link woke up to gray clouds and a stiff neck. It had been a few years since he had slept on something so hard. And the cot he was on was not something to be found in any of Zelda's rooms. 

   "This is what I get for living in peace for so long." Link thought to himself.

    He got of the cot and searched for his tunic. He found it and put it on just as the door opened to reveal Teri. Link was still putting on a boot.

   "You're up early." Link said, hopping around.

   "Ye are the one who is late." Teri said, "The rest of us already had breakfast." Link sat on the bed, still tugging at his boot.

   "I missed breakfast?" he asked, finally getting the boot on.

   "Don't worry, I saved ye some." Teri replied, "We always give the new crew member or a visitor one day before breaking them into our routine."

   "And thanks to me, you won't have to tell me about the routine." Link said, smiling.

   "Yes, I see your wind is quite effective." Teri commented, "We have just passed the shores of Holodrum. That is three hours away from Hesra."

   "Really?" Link asked, getting to his feet, "Holodrum is that close to Hesra?" Teri's confusion showed on her face. "I've been there before. The oracles there needed help, so they brought me in."

   "How long ago was this?" Teri said, stepping back into the hallway.

   "Nine years ago." Link said, following Teri, "I was eleven at the time." 

   "It seems your life has been but one adventure." Teri said, her eyes sparkling.

   "This will sound corny, but life is an adventure." Link said, "I just had shorter recovery time that's all." They laughed. But Link's laughter was cut short by a sudden pain in his hand. He groaned and breathed out slowly, clutching his left hand.

   "What is wrong?" Teri said, worried.

   "I don't know." He looked at his hand. Two triangles pulsed a soft light from the back of his hand.

   "We're close." said Link. It was confirmed a few minutes later.

   "Captain," a sailor called, coming up the stairs from the lower level, "We just passed the island of Arthag. At the rate we're going, we should be at Fernad in a minute."

   "Don't think so." Link said. He walked away from the group. Teri and the sailor looked at each for a moment, then followed. They found him on the deck. The ship was sailing past Arthag slowly.

   "Just as planned." He said.

   "What was?" Teri asked, coming up to the deck.

   "The sages saw this island. They decided that the wind should die down when we got here. Otherwise we would be coming in too fast to dock properly."

   "That makes sense." Teri said.

   "Especially with the festival soon." The sailor added, "The port will be busy."

   "That's right, I forgot about that." Teri said.

   "Festival?" Link asked.

   "The festival to celebrate the City of Fernad's one hundred fortieth birthday." Teri explained. But Link was not paying attention. Something had caught his eye. He walked to the bow of the ship. Teri asked what was wrong.

   "That cloud," Link whispered, "is a lot darker than the others surrounding it." Teri looked and saw the almost black cloud.

   "Do you have rams on this ship?" Link asked, tearing his gaze away from the cloud. The captain nodded.

   "Then get your men rowing." He ordered, "I'm afraid we are already too late."

    For ten minutes, Teri's men rowed with all their strength. The city of Fernad was their home. Their families lived within its walls. The thought that all could be gone did not fill them despair but with a fury like no other. For vengeance was not uncommon in the land of Hesra.

    Link and Gerud were with Teri. They were planning the next step. They had no idea what to expect when they reached the port. If there still was one. For all they, Majon could be there, waiting for them. Or worse, he had taken control of all of Hesra. The one dark cloud above Hesra would soon grow to cover the entire sky if this is what had passed.

   "If Majon is still at Fernad," Gerud started, "what then?"

   "Hope he doesn't see us when we see him." Link replied, "I change into Mikau and swim to shore while you guys had to Arthag and stay safe."

   "Ye plan to challenge Majon alone?" Teri asked.

   "Fernad had a standing army and a powerful nazy," Gerud pointed out, "It won't matter if we go along."

   "Nazy?"

   "An army of boats."

   "Oh," Link said, "You call it a nazy. We say navy."

   "Not important right now." Teri said, raising her voice.

   "Sorry."

   "Teri, ye must calm yourself." Gerud said, raising a hand, "Do not let your feelings get the best of ye." They stared at each other in an icy silence. Link could feel the tension between. He wanted to break the silence, but had no idea how. His hand did though. It decided to hurt again, worse than before.

    Link screamed; the pain was intense. The two triangles were glowing brightly now. Gerud and Teri broke their gaze at rushed to Link's side. He had fallen to the floor. The sailor from the crow's nest came to the conference room.

   "Fernad in sight, or at least what's left of it." He said. Teri looked him in silent horror. The sailor raced back to his post. Link got up and started to follow him.

    Teri asked where he was going. He could not reply, the pain too much for him. Yet, something was compelling him to go topside. When Link finally reached the deck, he went to the bow. Gerud and Teri were right behind him. Once he reached the front of the boat, his left hand stretched forward. And a yellow beam of light shot out from the two triangles.

    The beam flew over the ruins of the once proud city of Fernad. It flew over the forest land, most of which was burning or had been burned. It flew straight into the heart of the shadow land, into the temple where Majon now resided. The light struck his hand. It let a tortured yell, one that could be heard by the sailors. That's when Link pulled his hand back. The light disappeared. Link flew off his feet and landed hard on the deck. He was unconscious.

    Teri knelt down beside him. She saw three triangles glowing on his hand.

   "He has it!" she exclaimed, "He has the full power of the triforce." She was happy to say the least, but the moment was cut short by another roar, this one filled with hatred. When it died down, Teri heard a rumbling noise. The boat began to quiver. Gerud was staring at something behind the ship. His eyes were filled with horror. Teri rose and saw it for herself: a tidal wave of immense proportions. Impossible to avoid. Impossible to survive. 

    The other sailors came on deck to see what the noise was. When they saw it, their fires were doused. Their eyes watched their death approach them, showing no emotion. 


	9. Siege at Magol

    Flames that burned high and fierce among the ruins of Fernad were doused by the fiercer tidal wave. Teri looked away from her beloved home and watch with tears in her eyes as her ship, her pride, disappeared beneath the water. She looked across an empty sea, a sea that used to house hundreds of ships and a large port, with strong walls to protect it. It was all gone.

    She walked to the top of a small rise on the beach. Scanning the beach she saw something move.

   "Ahoy there!" she cried. 

   "Ahoy captain!" a man replied, "Glad I am to see ye alive!"

   "Have ye seen anyone else?" Teri asked.

   "Nay," the sailor answered, "I shall go this way, see if there are anymore survivors."

   "Right," Teri yelled back, "I shall do the same on my side." The sailor walked away. Teri turned around, hoping both were successful. Upon turning, she had immediate success. A man was running towards her. But it was not a sailor. He bore a soldier's armor, a green cape, the captain's cape, bounced behind him. The man clutched his right arm. As he drew nearer, Teri recognized his face.

   "Borin!" she cried with joy. She ran as fast as he could to him. She was about to embrace him, but Borin put a hand out.

   "I'm in pain." He panted.

   "How bad?" Teri asked, her joy giving way to concern.

   "My arm is certainly broken." Borin said, "I probably broke a few ribs, both legs are bruised, but not seriously. And talk about your bad backs." He stood straight but the effort obviously caused him great pain.

   "No need to act like a soldier right now." Teri said, "We hit a calm part of the storm."

   "Thank the gods," Borin said, "Only they how much pain I'm in." 

   "Your wounds are not all that make ye suffer." Teri said after a pause.

   "The destruction of my home is what pains me most." He said vehemently, "Majora passed over our city, breathing fire and shadow. I survived because I jumped over the wall to avoid the flames and the shadows did not touch me. Most of my men tried to follow. But either the flames consumed them or the shadows devoured them." Borin chocked and he shut his eyes. Teri pulled him close and wept into his shoulder.

   "I'm sorry." She said, her voice muffled and filled with despair, "I'm sorry I could not help ye." She sobbed more heavily. Borin put his good arm around him.

   "If ye were here, ye would have been dead." He said soothingly, "It is with luck that ye are alive now. I saw what happened."

   "It must have been a dreadful sight." A voice said. Teri looked up and saw Gerud, dripping wet, carrying a body on his shoulder.

   "Your alive." Teri said with relief. But it was no louder than a whisper. Gerud heard her though and nodded.

   "And so is he." Said Gerud. He placed the body gently on the ground. "He shall soon be waking up." Borin looked at the young, pointy-eared man on the ground.

   "Who is this?" he asked.

   "Our last hope." Teri replied. She explained all that had happened in Hyrule, who Link was, how Ganondorf stole the orbs and donned Majora's Mask. When she finished, Link groaned.

   "Welcome to Hesra, Link." Gerud said. Link opened his eyes a little and placed his hand on his head. He pulled it back, yelling in pain. The symbol appeared on his gauntlet. Borin jumped back.

   "What is going on?" he demanded. Teri had no idea. Link's screams grew louder. The others were forced to cover their ears and move away. The noise was too intense. Then the light from his hand pervaded his body. Then he disappeared into the light. Now Teri and the two men had to shield their eyes from the light. That's when she noticed that the screams had stopped.

   "Link!" she cried, eyes still shut. After a few seconds, she cautiously opened an eye. She saw nothing. She opened both her eyes. And there stood her last hope.

    When Link was on the ground, he had a cut on his forehead, a green tunic that was torn and he was weaponless. Now, Link was standing up, cleaned and healed. He wore a suit of white armor, with the symbol of the triforce painted on the chest. Teri could see a sheathed Master sword and the mirror shield on his back. His longshot was hooked on his left side while his bomb bag was on the right. The only impressive change was what he wore, but Teri could feel a power pulsing from every fiber of his body and all that touched it.

   "Link?" Teri asked. He looked at her, smiling. He nodded before jumping into the air. And then he flew towards the city.

   "I think he's got the hang of his new powers." Gerud commented, following Link's trajectory. The Hylian stopped and floated above the middle of the city. He examined the ruins all around him. When he was done looking, he placed his hands in front of him. They started to glow.  

    Teri felt it first, her feet being sensitive to shifts in the ground and she was much lighter than Gerud. It was a slight trembling, hardly worrying about. But it was steady and soon it intensified. She was having trouble standing, as well as Borin. They fell to their knees while Gerud remained firmly planted. Teri looked up at Link. She did not what she expected to see, but it certainly was not this.

    Pieces of the cities walls and buildings were swirling around the Hylian. They rose from under the ashes and were hoisted into the air by some unseen force. This lasted a few minutes. Then the trembling stopped. Teri stood just as the ash exploded into the air. It was now a full-blown tornado. The wind nearly picked her up, but Gerud was there to keep her and the soldier on the ground.

    The stone and ash started to mix together. They became whole walls and buildings. Link was piecing the entire city back together. It took ten minutes before the entire city was rebuilt to its original splendor. His job done, he floated back to the ground. The others joined him soon after, in front of city hall.

   "In time," Link said when he saw them, "this city will be populated once again. Until then it will never truly be rebuilt." 

   "Thank you Link." Teri said, looking at the city in wonder. Link nodded.

   "I also managed to pull some of your men out of the water." Link said. "Unfortunately, most of them are dead. I'm sorry."

   "Don't be." Teri said reassuringly, "It's not your fault."

   "She's right." Gerud added, "Ye may not have the power to bring back the dead. But I'm sure ye have the power to avenge."

   "I certainly hope so." Link said.

   "What do ye mean?" Teri asked, stunned that he said that, "Ye have the power of the triforce as well as your own power. How can ye not win?"

   "Because Majon has all five orbs in the shadow temple, a place where he will not be drawn out very easily. He is also the fusion of two beings, who were very powerful before they met. Plus, I am not at full strength."

   "When will ye be?" Borin asked.

   "When I return home." 

    After much deliberation, it was decided that Gerud and Link would go to the temple of Light. Teri and Borin would stay and search for survivors not only in the land of the sea, but in the other lands as well.

   "We will need as many men as we can summon to attack the Majon's domain." Borin said.

   "Indeed we will." Link said, "For I do not know how long my power can last in battle."

   "The disciples of the light will be able to give ye an idea." Teri said.

   "And they will know of some way to extend it and increase it if necessary." Gerud added.

   "Hurry now." Borin said, "We know not if Majon will attack again." Link agreed and they took their leave from their friends.

   "I hope the other lands have not been ravaged as this one has been." Gerud said once outside the city.

   "They are not." Link said, "Majon had no reason to attack them." Link gazed far into the north. Many leagues away, he could see the outline of a forest. 

   "Is that the forest land in front of us?" Link asked. Gerud, though not capable of seeing the trees, said it was.

   "Fire, wind and sea are all connected to the forest. They give it life one or another." Gerud explained.

   "Makes sense." Link said.

   "The land of Light lies beyond the forest." Gerud continued, "It will take us six or seven days to reach the temple of light."

   "Good thing we found some food." Link said, looking at he pack Gerud carried.

   "And there are many rivers and lakes in this field." Said Gerud, "There are some towns to the north and south of our path. Should we need anything more, we will be able to get them there."

   "I see some of them now." Link said, gazing at the horizon. 

   "Your sight has much improved." Gerud commented.

   "So has my speed." Link said, "But I do not know the way and I don't want to tire myself out too much."

   "If ye wish, we can stop at Magol Town to the south. It will take a day to get there, but there are horses there. We will be able to regain the lost time very quickly."

   "I like that idea a lot. Let's go."

    They walked for hours across the undulating, grassy fields. No obvious hint of evil had touched these lands, but Link could sense danger beneath his feet.

   "Do you have a weapon?" Link asked sometime during the day.

   "No." Gerud said, "Put we are on home turf now so my powers have increased as well." He fell silent and Link felt a surge of power. The Hylian looked at the giant hand. He saw a long white staff grow. It extended to a length of three meters before ending with scythes pointing in opposite directions.

   "Now, that's cool." Link said, pointing at Gerud's weapon.

   "My first choice." Gerud said, twirling it in one hand.

   "Good," said Link, "You will be needing it after sunset." Gerud understood and asked nothing.

    The sun was descending behind the mountains, when they arrived at Magol. The first thing Link and Gerud did was summon the captain of the guard and told him to ready his troops. As they expected, the captain would give such a command without good reason.

   "Did you not see the beast that flew over your land a few days ago?" Link asked.

   "Yes of course." The captain replied, "Who are ye, sir? Ye are not from Hesra, it is quite obvious."

   "My name is Link, and I'm going to be doing most of the fighting if you don't summon your men." He turned to Gerud, "Staflos. Full-grown. That's what's coming."

   "What are Staflos?" Gerud asked.

   "Skeletal warriors wielding shield and sword. They are strong, quick, as well as ruthless and merciless. I sense at least a hundred approaching."

   "I only have fifty men." The captain said. Link could only stare at the guard with a grim face. Then his face lit up.

   "Keep them all by the walls. I shall hinder the Staflos as much as I can." He ran outside. Gerud followed, while the captain blew a horn. As the soldiers ran to the barracks, Link headed for the town center. Once there he leapt into the air, drawing gasps and cries of surprise from many of the inhabitants of Magol. 

    He looked towards the mountains. The sun was gone. The night sky now covered the rising army. At first Link saw one. Then the skeleton raised its sword and roared and the rest of the army rose from the ground, shaking off the dirt. There were two hundred.

    A roar escaped from their lipless mouths and they charged. Link crossed his arms in front of his chest and then shot them towards his sides. A light erupted from his body, rapidly expanding. It brightened the entire city and the field that the un-dead army stood on. From all appearances, nothing changed and the Staflos kept coming. 

    They soon reached the walls and jumped over them. The soldiers were ready for them, though many were scared stiff. A few of them ran away. But these ones had to stop for something intrigued them, as well as the rest of the guard. The Staflos were slowing down! They were all in slow motion.

   "Hurry up and kill them!" Link ordered. The guards, with renewed courage, lifted their swords high and waited for the Staflos to come down. Once in range, each guard sliced a skeletal warrior before it had a chance to raise its weapon. One quarter of them were gone. 

    Gerud hoped that Link would be able to keep it up. But just by looking at the Hylian, he saw that was not possible. He was much weaker than anyone thought. Sweat was dripping from his face. The strain was evident from the expression on his face. 

   "Link!" Gerud called, "Don't kill yourself. That light ye shot out before must have done something."

   "It did." Link replied with great effort, "All their weapons and armor have been rusted. But there are too many."

   "Don't worry about that." Gerud said, "The soldiers only ran because they had never seen such creatures before and it surprised them. Now, they will show their true skill, even if they moved at full-speed."

   "Then get ready." Link said, after a pause. "Guards! The Staflos will be moving at full-speed! Prepare yourselves!" With that, he let his arms drop. As he floated to the ground, the un-dead picked up speed. But as Link mentioned, their weapons had been aged and apparently their bones as well. Legs were being broken as the Staflos landed from the high jump.

    The guards found the fight easy yet tiresome, for the Staflos kept regenerating after a time. They would rest in pieces only if the entire army lay was laid to rest in a short time span. The guards were not killing their enemies fast enough. Gerud saw this and joined in the battle. And Link saw another reason why Teri kept this man on board.

    He was certainly strong, that was apparent from his size. Even so, he moved faster than any man that Link had ever seen. Gerud was faster than Zelda's counterpart, Sheik. One slice from the giant's double-scythe and the Staflos would crumble. With his help, the soldiers of Magol defeated the un-dead army. Their bones burned into ash to show their surrender.

    The city rejoiced over this great victory. Ever since the dark lord arrived, Magol and the surrounding towns had been filled with despair. It was great to laugh again. True, two men had died during the battle: a Staflos landed on one man, while the other was overwhelmed by five Staflos attacking him at once. They were to be remembered with honor.

    Gerud ran to tell the news to Link. The Hylian was still at the town's center. But Gerud was stunned to see that the wielder of the triforce was on the ground. He was unconscious. 


	10. Run

    A large, yet simple, stone house with a shingled roof stood at the furthest point of the gates of Magol. It was the closest thing this town had to a hospital. Past the rotting, wooden door that served as the entrance, was a room the occupied the entire interior. Beds were lined up in two rows with at least twenty beds per row or more accurately, cots with woolen blankets. There were three nurses on duty twenty-four hours a day. They needed no more for it was rare that a person was ill and if someone was wounded it required no less than three stitches or it was a mortal wound. 

    Which was why they were unsure how to proceed with Link. He had no superficial injuries. They knew something inside him was wrong, but what it was and more importantly how it was to be dealt with, was beyond them. He did have a fever though and that they knew how to treat. They put a cold, wet towel on his forehead and fed him some herbs.

    Gerud visited Link often during the day. He had ordered two horses be made ready for them. Once Link was able to walk, he planned to set out for the temple of light and arrive as soon as possible. It was now evident that Link would need the disciples' help. The giant would come in and ask the nurses if any improvement had been noticed. There was some change by nightfall. Link's conditioned worsened.

   "He is gasping for air." The nurse told Gerud when he came in. She did not have to tell him. He could hear Link gasping from outside. Gerud rushed to the Hylian's side. Sweat was rolling down his forehead now.

   "Link!" Gerud called. He could not hide the fear from his voice. "What is wrong?" The Hylian continued to gasp.

    Then, "My bag." It took great effort to say those words. He could say no more but that was all Gerud needed. 

   "I will retrieve it for ye, even if it is at the bottom of the ocean." He ran outside, leapt onto the horse strong enough to carry the sailor's bulk and rode off.

    It was the ending of the day that Gerud and Link had left them before Borin and Teri met again. They had split up to cover more of the beach. Each had found several of the sailors alive and several others dead.

   "Ye can find no more?" Teri asked when their groups rejoined.

   "Alas no. Nor did any of your men who were in the midst of searching for their companions when I stumbled upon them."

   "Then there is no reason." Teri said soberly, gazing at the dying sun. "We are fortunate though to be sleeping in our homes on this sorrowful night." The others agreed silently and followed their captain to Fernand. 

    As they passed through the gates, Borin ran alongside her. He carried a bag that made a great clattering when shook. One of the sailors had found it slung over her chest when she woke up. How it came onto her, she had no idea. There were bottles of strange potions and masks of all sorts.

   "This is Link's." Teri said when Borin handed her the bag. "He must have forgotten to reclaim it in his haste."

   "Why does he have masks?" Borin asked.

   "Apparently they have the ability to change him into different beings." She explained. She took out the Zora's example. "He was one of these things when he came aboard." 

   "He comes from a magical place." Borin said after examining the mask. Teri was about to reply when she heard something. It was a low, moaning sound that echoed off the walls.

   "What was that?" Teri asked.

   "Could it be a survivor?" a sailor asked.

   "There are none." Borin answered, drawing his sword. Teri did the same. The sailors revealed their long, curved knives. They advanced slowly as a group, looking into the smallest cracks. The sound grew louder and despite the echo, Teri knew there was more than one.

   "Warriors of Majon?" Borin whispered to Teri.

   "Most likely." She whispered back.

    They saw the first of the creatures when they rounded the next corner. It was a horrifying sight. The creature seemed to be wearing a wooden mask that bared its rotting teeth and empty eye sockets. It was human, but it had no skin. All its flesh and bones were visible. Teri thought nothing could be worse than the Black Warriors. This proved her wrong.

   "Now we know what was making the noise." Borin said as the creature slowly turned towards them.

   "What do we do about it?" Teri asked.

   "I say we run." A sailor suggested.

   "I agree," Borin said, "It is slow but we have no idea what they are capable." Teri nodded and turned to go. Or at least she tried.

    The creature's eyes had fixed on hers. The instant they did, Teri felt a sudden chill freeze her body. Her legs, arms, even her mouth would not twitch. She was completely immobile and she could think of nothing that would free her.

    The rest of the crew was leaving. Leaving her behind. However, Borin took two steps before he noticed that Teri was not moving. Thinking she was just examining the creature, Borin went to her side. He placed a hand lightly on her shoulder, indicating she should follow. When she did not acknowledge, Borin shook her shoulder slightly. Her body swayed slightly. 

    Teri felt the chill leave. Without thinking, she turned and dove at Borin, knocking him down. They fell to the ground, hurting Borin's arm. He groaned in pain. The soldier looked up at his friend, wondering why she did that. Teri had placed her hand in front of his eyes. 

   "Teri?" Borin cried.

   "Don't make eye contact."

   "What?"

   "Don't make eye contact. Ye shall not move otherwise." 

   "Ah." The soldier understood finally. No wonder she was not following. Turning their back to the creature, they rose quickly and ran to join the rest of the crew who had not noticed the incident, mostly because they had their own problems.

   "Get off him!" someone yelled. Another sailor was screaming in pain. When Teri and Borin rejoined the group, the moaning sound of the strange monster could be heard. Pushing her way to the front, Teri found one of her men lying on the ground, clutching his neck. Three other sailors were hacking at one of the monsters. Teri went straight for the wounded sailor, examining his wound.

   "What happened?" she asked. He tried to speak. But all the sailor could do was utter a gurgling sound before his eyes rolled into the back of his head. The body went limp. Teri held his head a moment longer before laying his head on the ground.

   "May your soul find the light." She said, making the sign of the pentagram above the deceased. The others did the same and remained in silence for a moment. But the nearing moaning sounds reminded them of their peril. Teri looked up with frightened eyes. She turned to her crew.

   "Run for the fields." She ordered, "Do not make eye contact with these creatures. They freeze your body if they do." 

   "Hold your weapons in front of your eyes." Borin said while demonstrating, "Most of them are reflective. Perhaps we can turn their power against them." The sailors obeyed and headed for the gates.

    The monsters were drawing nearer now. They swarmed in front of the group. But Borin's trick worked. The affected monsters turned a pale white and remained motionless even when the men and women passed by them. The monsters began to drag their feet again only when the sailors had reached the gate. The strongest of them went to the device that opened the gate. After much effort, the gate was opened to its widest. The crew ran outside.

    But Teri soon realized that those who opened the gate would not be able to make it out.

   "They're trapped!" she cried. Borin, however, knew of a secret passage underneath of the gatekeepers hut. The sailors shut the gate and soon after found the trap door. A few minutes later, they appeared from underneath a rock a hundred yards away from the city. They were safe.

    Borin woke up hours later. He lifted himself up from the dewy grass. Five sailors were awake before him. They were the ones who volunteered to keep watch over the group during the night. Their task must have been dull for they had no fire to tend to. Not a branch could be found, therefore no fuel or way to start the fire. 

    The soldier sat up. As he did, the watchers stood up. Something had caught their attention. Borin stood as well. He saw a large horse in the distance. Seeing the size of the beast, Borin could only think of one man who needed a horse that large. The watchers were thinking of the same man, for they started to yell, "Gerud! Gerud is coming!" The others began to wake. When they saw the giant approach, they started to cheer.

   "Gerud!" Borin called as the horseman slowed down, "Good to see ye are still alive." 

   "I shall venture a guess that ye were attacked." Gerud said after noting the tired condition of the crew. 

   "By some horrible creatures." Teri added.

   "I am hoping that someone found a bag with some masks within it." Gerud said, "That way I don't have to go in."

   "I did," Borin said, "But I dropped it when Teri knocked me to the ground." Gerud glanced at her. She was looking innocently at the sky.

   "Where?" Gerud asked, unable to resist a smile.

   "I do not know exactly, but if ye go down the main path, ye would find it on the left side." Borin answered.

   "Very well." 

   "The gate is closed." Borin warned.

   "I can scale the walls." Gerud said, riding towards the castle. Once by its walls, he jumped from his horse and clung to the stone. After many slips and near-falls, Gerud swung himself over the top.

    The crew waited impatiently for half an hour. Teri had decided to follow Gerud if he did not return after ten, but something told her that he was in no danger. Still, that did not calm her nerves. After thirty minutes, a surprise awaited them. The gate opened. Curious, the crew headed for it.

    Once at the gate, Gerud came out to greet them. He was smiling, a rare sight. He held a bag in one hand and pulled an even larger horse behind him.

   "How fortunate." He said, "Ye dropped the bag in front of Little Gerud's stable. And he was still there." He gestured to the black stallion.

   "What of the creatures?" Teri asked.

   "I saw them not." Gerud replied, "And I heard nothing as well."

   "So the sun scares them." Borin said, "That is good to know."

   "Yes, but now I must go." Gerud said, jumping onto his horse, "There's something in here that can save Link's life."

   "What?" Teri cried.

   "Magol came under siege last night." Gerud explained, "Link did all he could to help the soldiers but he was far weaker than he thought. I am hoping that he I still alive."

   "What ails him?" she asked.

   "The triforce is too far from its home. Unless the disciples of the light have a remedy, Link will not be able to fight Majon here."

   "Then hurry to that destination." Teri ordered. Gerud nodded and urged the horse forward. The sailors parted for him as the giant rode away. They wished him luck and waved after him.

   "I suggest we go to Magol as well." Borin said, "It is the closest town and has not been infected with monsters."

   "It may come attack again." A sailor said.

   "Then we will be there to aid them." Borin started to leave. Teri immediately followed. The rest of the crew hesitated but they soon realized that staying out in the open was probably more dangerous. One by one they came to this conclusion and one by one, they followed their leaders with heavy hearts.


	11. The Beginning of the End

    The red horse carried its proportionally sized rider across the tall, green grass: grass that had been touched by Majon's hand. After a mere three days, the field was lifeless. All the insects that lived in harmony under the earth were dying from the poison seeping through the land. It would take three more days before the poison contaminated the grass, turning it yellow and brittle and then the wind would blow it into oblivion. A barren wasteland would remain.

    Gerud knew that it was happening: he could feel it. And he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Though he possessed some magical skills, they were nothing compared to that of Link's and Majon. He knew of no antidote to rid the world of the poison, except kill the one that poured it into the earth. Which was why Link had to survive.

    While he was riding, Gerud held the bag tightly in one hand. Loosening his grip, the bag opened to allow Gerud a look inside. There were seven masks inside. The zora mask lay on top of the others. Underneath it was a broad mask, painted brown with two small eyeholes. Gerud identified it as a goron mask. There was also a mask, the same shape as the goron mask, but it was made of wood. It had a tube-shape mouth that protruded from the mask. Gerud had never seen this species during his stay in Termina. Then there was the ridiculous, yet cute, bunny mask. Made to sit on a person's head, its long, yellow ears and beady, black eyes made the giant laugh when he pictured it on Link's head. 

    Then there were two masks made of stone. One was long and narrow, with triangular eyes and jagged lines across its high forehead and mouth. The other was a strange. The two eyeholes were of different size. It was almost a square but the lines were not straight. The purpose of these two masks escaped Gerud.

    Shifting the bag, his eyes fell upon the final mask. When Gerud saw it, he gasped. Why, he did not know. Something about the white hair, the blue, v-shaped markings on the forehead and the red lines that were painted just above and below the eyes, triggered a sensation within Gerud. It was a mixture of fear and hope. He had never felt something like it before.

    He ignored the feeling and shook the bag. The mask moved to the side and revealed several bottles containing mostly a red or green liquid, but there were two bottles with a blue liquid in it. The last bottle had a little light glowing inside it. Looking at it closely, Gerud saw that it was moving with little wings.

   "Now, what could ye be?" Gerud asked out loud. Shrugging his shoulders, he closed the bag and urged the horse on. He knew he had little time.

    When Gerud rode through Magol's gate, he saw sad faces. The soldiers lowered their eyes as Gerud dismounted. At first, he did not understand. It was when one soldier had the courage to look Gerud in the eyes that he knew. He ran for the hospital.

    He crashed through the door, unable to stop in time. The noise frightened the nurses, but once they saw who it was, they stepped aside. Where Link lay, a white sheet covered his face. Gerud did not say or move for a few seconds. When he fully grasped that Hesra's one hope of freedom had been destroyed, he dropped the bag and punched through the wall.

   "That won't help." A voice, clear and strong, said. Gerud looked outside and saw an elderly man dressed in golden robes. His face was wrinkled, his hair grizzled, but his baby-blue eyes radiated with strength and vitality. He stood tall and proudly, even in these grim times.

   "Lord Cyran," Gerud rose to his full height, then bowed slightly.

   "Ye did all ye could Gerud," Cyran said, "Now, ye must focus your thoughts on our future."

   "What future?" Gerud cried, "Our only hope of redemption is dead."

   "And even if he were alive, he could not help us." Cyran said calmly.

   "What?"

   "I felt his power last night, even from the temple of light." Cyran explained, "I set out right after the battle was over. I arrived minutes after ye left. I found him on that bed, in great pain. I tried everything to heal him. Useless. He died, saying 'Fairy'." 

   "Fairy?" Gerud asked. 

   "Yes, do ye know what that means?" 

   "I do know." A thought struck Gerud. He opened the bag and found the bottle with the flying light. After pulling the sheet off of Link's pale face, Gerud opened the bottle. The fairy floated above Link's body awhile before circling his chest. It did this three times before it disappeared.

    For a moment, nothing happened. Then Gerud noticed Link's hand twitching. From his lips came his breath, in gasps, but he was alive. Gerud cheered, attracting many by-standers. They began to cheer as well. Even Cyran applauded.

   "Blue." Link gasped, barely audible above the cheering. Gerud's hearing though was very sensitive and he heard his friend's word. Picking up the bag again, he took one of the bottles containing a blue liquid. He popped the cork off and held it to Link's lips. The Hylian took the bottle from Gerud and gulped the entire contents. Its effects were instantaneous. Link's breathing became regular again and soon enough, he was on his feet.

   "Welcome back." Gerud said, hugging the smaller man. Link laughed, hugging the giant back. Cyran came forward and shook the Hylian's hand when Gerud had released him. 

   "Your land's potions and magic are far more powerful than that of Hesra's." Cyran complimented.

   "Indeed they are." He went for his bag, "but some of your past warriors are very powerful." He showed the fierce deity mask.

   "Oni." Cyran said. Everyone fell silent upon hearing the name.

   "Is that what you call him?" Link asked, "All I know is that he came from here. And that I learned recently through my final dream."

   "How did you come across this mask?" Cyran asked. Link gave a brief recount of his time traveling against Majora's mask. Fifteen minutes later, after many interruptions and tangents, Link stopped. He could tell everything he said was hard to swallow. But they were swallowing it.

   "A fantastic tale." Cyran said. Many people agreed with the lord. "But I believe it."

   "Now, a question of my own." Link said, "Who is Oni?"

   "Oni was, as ye said, a powerful warrior." Cyran explained, "Some believed he was a demy-god, he was so strong. When Majora first appeared, he led the first attack. We nearly defeated Majora on the first try. But the demon has many faces: he transformed into an even more powerful warrior and destroyed our armies. Oni was mortally wounded. We did not have the skill to heal such wounds back then. We did know of a way to preserve him, which would also allow him to assist us in the next attacks against Majora."

   "You preserved his spirit in this mask." Link said.

   "Yes." Cyran replied, "Only the strongest warriors were able to wear Oni's mask. It took several attempts to weaken Majora enough to lock him into his mask."

   "Okay, now I'm starting to understand." Link said, "Now, what is Majora exactly?"

   "Majora used to be a man. He was the one who found the orbs and discovered many of their secrets."

   "What happened?" Link asked.

   "We are not sure." Cyran answered, "All we know is that he was experimenting with the orb of light. A dark energy escaped from the temple, turning half the land of light into the land of shadow. Majora was drawn to it and left the light forever. He built a temple there and we believe he constructed a shadow orb as well. Then, using dark magic, he became more powerful. His body changed to suit his new character."

   "And once he was ready," said Link, "He built his army and tried to control Hesra." Cyran nodded.

   "How does this help?" Gerud asked, annoyed slightly from all the talking.

   "It helps with my decision." Link replied.

   "What decision?"

   "Whether to fuse with Oni or not." 

   "That is what ye do when ye wear the mask." Cyran said.

   "Yes, but even when I was young, I hid whatever power I had from him."

   "Why?" Cyran and Gerud asked.

   "He wants it a little too much." Link explained, "He's power hungry. I'm afraid if I show him all my powers, he will never let me go." He paused, "But I see the danger we are in. I see the danger that I'm in. Without the mask, I cannot survive here."

   "The choice is obvious then." Cyran said.

   "Not much of a choice."

    Link decided that he should put the mask on outside of the town's walls. Cyran agreed with him. They felt that something violent would happen and they did not want the town to be affected.

    Gerud offered to ride Link far away from the town, which the Hylian accepted. They rode for a few minutes before Link said that they were far enough. Then he forced Gerud to leave him alone, alone on a hill that gave him a clear view of Magol and of Fernand. Alone in the doing on what might be his undoing. Link wished Zelda were here, for her to hold him and tell him not to do what he was about to do. For Link did not think that Oni would not let him go; he knew. Link would be gone forever and some super-warrior would take his place.

   "Forgive me Zelda," he whispered, "but I have to end this once and for all." 

    He held the mask in two hands and brought it to his face slowly. The clouds above him darkened and thundered. As the mask drew closer to his face, the wind picked up and the ground trembled. Lightning struck the ground repeatedly, but it did not harm Link. The mask was inches from his face now. Closing his eyes, he pushed it to his face.

    The world around him exploded. The wind reached hurricane speeds. Great cracks appeared in the earth. Lightning struck the ground every second. The thunder was deafening. 

    But above all that was one sound. Link, screaming in fear and pain. At first, the scream sounded of his voice: clear and high-pitched. But then it changed to a dark and rumbling sound. 

    His body also went through a metamorphosis. Link's small and lean frame began to grow in every direction, especially at the shoulders. His arms and legs exploded in size. His muscles bulged and were better defined. His hands tripled in size, as well as his feet. His neck thickened and grew longer.

    Link's dirty-blond hair and blue eyes were gone. White hair now covered Link's scalp. His eyes paled until they were completely white. The oddly shaped, blue V grew on his broad forehead. The jagged red lines took their place around his white eyes. His pointy ears became sharper and longer. His nose, cheeks and chin became larger. His tanned skin paled like his hair and eyes had done.

    Once his body had been redefined, his armor that came apart during the transformation was replaced. It was the same color as before, but it now fitted Link's new bulk. It was also much tougher but surprisingly light: for him anyway. What was different was the symbol on his breastplate. The golden triforce was still there, but now five circles formed a pentagram around it. 

    His armor replaced, his body changed, the storm stopped. The new warrior floated down to the ground. He stretched his new muscles before checking his weaponry. All he had was a sword. : the shield, the bow, the bombs, all that was gone. All he had was a sword, shorter than him, but bigger than Gerud. Its design was very simple: a long hilt for the warrior's hand with a very long, ten-inch wide, double-edged (very sharp edges) blade. It was twice the Goron blade in every regard, from size to strength. He returned it to its sheath.

    He stood still for a few more minutes, feeling the power surge through him. Then he decided to test his power. It was a simple test. He wanted to see how fast he could run. The warrior took off, igniting the grass behind him. The sailors from Fernand were just arriving. They had seen the arrival of this warrior. Now, they were seeing, or at least trying to see him run. What they saw was an image of him. Where they thought he was, was actually a hundred yards behind from his actual position. The only way they were able to tell this was from the fire. They were able to tell his position from the fire that was following a trail. 

    When the fire reached Magol, it stopped. The image of the warrior finally caught up to its producer. The fire was starting to spread now. But with a twitch from Link's brow and the flames were extinguished. He smiled as on-lookers stared in awe at him.

    The sailors came rushing up to meet this new warrior. When Teri finally reached him, she knew somehow that calling him Link would not grab his attention. So, she asked.

   "What is your name?" The warrior slowly turned his head towards her. His colorless eyes looked into her chestnut eyes. And then in a dark, slightly threatening tone, he said:

   "I am Oni Link."

    Zelda sat up in her bed, gasping for air. She had felt it: the power, the incredible power. It was nothing like she had ever felt before. But there was something else, something that frightened her greatly.

    During the past two nights, she had a dream of a white warrior leading an army of Black warriors in Hyrule. Immediately, she thought back to the dream Link had told her about, the one where he was leading that army. After the second night, Zelda feared that it would come true.

    And on the third night, her nightmares came true. Link would save Hesra, only to destroy it himself. And then he would destroy all that he loved.     


	12. Power is Sacred

    The Shadow Temple was the highest building in the shadow land and the second tallest feature of the dark world. It was also the best defended of all the temples in Hesra. Before reaching the temple itself, enemy armies would have to pass through two walls and a moat. The walls were easily eighty feet high and sixty inches thick. The wall was about four hundred yards long with a tower, made of reinforced steel incased in stone, at every twenty yards. The second wall was a hundred yards shorter on all sides, but it was virtually the same. The moat, filled with acid rather than water, was a mere ten feet wide. The disciples of the shadow did not worry though: no one had ever made it past the first wall.

    The temple itself was very simple. The front of the temple consisted of a large wooden door, several windows and two cathedral towers. The rest had the appearance of a typical parish church. 

    Upon entering the doors, a visitor (more likely a prisoner) would enter a large open hall, with a red carpet leading to a flight of stairs that went down. The carpet was flanked by candles and pillars.

    But the stairs led to the true source of terror. Descending one flight of stairs would bring a visitor to a large cavern. This is where the Black Warriors were trained. And it was usually swarming with these hideous creatures. They would be constantly developing their skill with the sword, spear or bow. Many of the warriors perished during the training. But where one fell, three took its place. 

    The cavern, though a meeting room for all the passageways that led to the dorms, the kitchens, the meal-halls, the prisons and other rooms, was not the important room. In the center of the cavern there was a door that opened to a flight of stairs. Descending these stairs led to where the shadow orb resided. This room had been recently redecorated to become a throne room as well.

    The shadow orb lay on its pedestal next to the new throne. But there was another orb in the room, one that allowed anyone to see anything within the boundaries of the shadow. Majora himself created the orb of sight, justly named, during his reign. It was with this orb that Ganondorf saw Oni Link cross the boundary between light and shadow.

   "He's coming." The Gerudo king said.

   "I know." A raspy voice said from the throne.

   "Alone." Ganondorf added.  

   "I would have not expected anything else." Ganondorf remained silent for a moment. He walked to one of the walls furthest from the throne.

   "I hate him." He whispered to the ground emotionlessly. His hands turned into fists. They trembled with fury.

   "I hate him!" his bellowing cry shook the room. He punched through the stonewall. A large part of it fell away revealing one of the dorms. The Black warriors in that room were huddled in the opposite corner, trembling with fear.

   "You never cease to amaze me." The voice said, "Even without your precious triforce, you still posses incredible power."

   "I would be more powerful if we were still together." Ganondorf said, pointing at the creature. It laughed, startling the king.

   "You fool!" it yelled, "You made me more powerful. You gave me the strength I needed to break out from that accursed mask. Alone now, I could have defeated us without taking a hit. And with the orbs, I am more powerful than Oni Link and his triforce." Now, it was Ganondorf's turn to laugh.

   "You have no idea the extent of the triforce's power. I managed to touch it when it was whole once. The surge that swept through my body was like nothing I had ever felt before. It was more than when I wore you."

   "More?" the creature asked.

   "Yes." Ganondorf replied with an evil smile, "And now it is combined with the full power of Link and this land's hero Oni. What makes you think you stand a chance against that?" Ganondorf was hoping the creature would fuse with him. Once fused, the Gerudo was sure he could subdue it and control the ultimate power.

    But then it rose to its full height, scraping the ceiling. It let the long tentacles attached to its wrists drop to the floor. The mask had now become a head. The spikes covered the top of its head. The body that it grew for itself was human in form (a strong human at that) but its skin was blue and purple. Both hands and feet had long, razor-like claws. 

    This was the true, original form of Majora. This was what approached Ganondorf and placed a hand on his shoulder.

   "I shall give you an idea." The demon said. Ganondorf knew what this meant and tried to break the demon's grip. He was too slow: the demon tightened its grip, crunching the Gerudo's armor and shoulder. As he yelled in pain, Ganondorf was lifted off his feet. Majora then threw the man through the ceiling. It threw with so much power that Ganondorf broke through hundreds of feet of dirt. Black warriors patrolling the walls were stunned to see something break out of the ground and fly high over their heads.

    Ganondorf was amazed that he was still conscious. He was also amazed that Majora had so much power. The Gerudo knew that Majora needed him no more. That was why he had thrown him away. The demon thought he was trash.

    When he finally hit the ground, he made a small crater. Still conscious, Ganondorf stood up and saw he was a fifteen-minute walk away from the castle. He was convinced that Oni Link stood no chance against that creature. Ganondorf felt the full extent of Majora's power when the hand had touched his shoulder. It was greater than that of the triforce. 

   "Too strong." He said, "How can he be so powerful?" he hollered. His head suddenly felt light. Ganondorf dropped to the ground, clutching his broken shoulder. When his dizziness had passed, he rose to his feet and turned to walk away.

    Instead, he came face to face with Oni Link.

   "We have to help him." Zelda pleaded to the other sages.

    She had summoned them to the Sacred Realm soon after she had her dream. She wanted to get through the explanations as quickly as possible. But Raru told her that they all had felt it too. The power that stretched across the waters; it was impossible to ignore.

    After she made her demand, silence reigned. The princess looked at each of the sages in turn. Raru, the sage of light, wise and powerful, his pale blue eyes a window to the horrors and the delights he had seen, sighed deeply. Darunia, strong and loyal, opened his Goron mouth to say something, but shut it, shaking his sandy man. Impa, caring and determined, stood with her arms across her chest, trying to hide how much this situation pained her. But Zelda saw the torment through the Shiekah's red eyes. Nabooru, cunning and resourceful, turned her brown eyes away when the princess looked to her. Zelda was surprised to see tears streaming from the blue eyes of the noble and proud Zora princess Ruto. A sob escaped from the lips of the innocent and trusting Saria. She shut her eyes, trying to hold back the tears.

    Zelda knew then why they were shedding tears for tears came to her eyes.

   "No." she sobbed.

   "We have to." Raru murmured.

   "You can't kill him!" the princess cried.

   "We can and we must." Raru said calmly yet hesitatingly, "I wish there were some other way but there isn't any."

   "No!" Zelda yelled, falling to her knees in tears. "There has to be some other way!"

   "Ah! But there is my lady!" 

   "Who was that?" Darunia asked.

   "It sounded familiar." Ruto said, wiping away her tears.

   "It sounded like Count Secras." Said Zelda.

   "That it is!" the voice cried. And floating above the sages' heads was the ghostly figure of the count.

   "How is it you come here?" Raru demanded.

   "How is it you're here at all?" Saria asked, not being as accustomed to seeing spirits as Raru was. But then again, Raru admitted that was the better question.

   "I will gladly answer your questions so long as ye resurrect me." He paused but not long enough for anyone to answer him, "I was kidding. Come now, can't ye tell I was being sarcastic?"

   "Not really, seeing as we tend to believe that evil ghosts can be sarcastic." Nabooru replied.

   "I take offense to the evil part, maiden." The count said.

   "Maiden?"

   "It's the same as my lady." The count explained. Nabooru nodded that she understood.

   "This is irrelevant." Raru said, giving a stern look to Nabooru. "How is it that you are a ghost? And how were able to enter the Sacred Realm? There only eight people who can enter here: the seven you see here and Link."

   "Please, calm yourself." Secras said. "I understand that I have not been the most friendly of guests. Therefore, I would like to start my tale from its very beginnings. Then we can move on to more serious matters." 


	13. Darkness Falls

   "The beginnings of this tale take place when I was merely beginning my studies at the temple of light. My parents attempted to dissuade me from this path, hoping that I would become an aristocrat like the rest of my family. But I had heard my calling and it was to become a disciple of the light."

   "Once my parents accepted my decision, they always encouraged me to be the best. My father especially wanted me to have great power. I learned all about the magiks the sages used; I tuned my soul to the entire land so I could draw from its everlasting strength. I surpassed all my peers and became the second youngest disciple of the light. The youngest was Oni himself."

   "Once I became a disciple, I continued my training for there is a higher level, that of the sages. There are three sages for each temple except the shadow temple, which has none. To become a sage, I had to perform an incredible feat with my powers. It could be saving lives, battling the Black warriors or something heroic as that. If the feat pleased one of the sages, that sage would step down to let the disciple take his place."

   "Now, I admit I was ambitious for a disciple of the light. I actually believed I could convert the land of shadow back to the land of light and restore its full glory. I traveled to the borders of the land to begin my task. But a part of Majora was still there. What it was I do not know. All I know is that it showed me I was not yet strong enough. It pulled me in, towards the temple."

   "I was allowed to pass through their gates and enter that evil place. I was terrified and every second I tried to pull away. But every time, something urged me forward, deeper underground where the heart of that vile creature beats. I entered the room where the orb of shadow resided. Majora urged me to touch it. And I did."

   "Ye have no idea of the power that coursed through my veins when my fingers felt the smooth crystal of that power. It was more than anything I could imagine. Majora then asked me to come to this land and seek his mask out. But I had already begun to control the power of the shadow. I refused him. And his presence left. I thought I had defeated him. He proved to be more cunning than I thought possible."

   "When I let go of the orb, I felt weak again. I touched it again, but it was not as exhilarating as before. But I knew of a way that would give me even more power. I sent out the Black warriors to retrieve the orbs of fire, forest and wind. I needed the orb of the sea before I felt confident enough to tackle the temple of light. Of the lands, they are the most powerful. They prevail over all the others individually. But together and with my knowledge of the light, I stood a chance." For the first time, the Count paused, sighing a bit.

   "How many people died, when you gathered the other orbs?" Zelda asked. Secras bowed his head and closed his eyes in shame.

   "Close to ten thousand, maiden," he said meekly, "Some men, some women, some children." A sob escaped his lips and his hand tried to cover his tears. "I'm so sorry." He continued to sob, tears dropping from his cheeks but did not wet Raru's head.

   "Hey, it's okay." Nabooru said reassuringly, "I see now it wasn't your fault. I know what it's like to have someone else control you."

   "As much as I would to agree with you Nabooru, I cannot." Impa said.

   "Yeah," Darunia spoke, pointing at Secras, "I don't see how he was controlled. As far as I can tell, he's been acting on his own free will."

   "No," Zelda said softly after a pause, "He was manipulated. Majora promised you something didn't he?"

   "Indeed," the count replied, wiping his tears away, "When I arrived in Termina, I felt stronger. And there was Majora. He said he would help me in my quest by supplying my strength when in this land. I did not know that the power of the orbs was restricted to the land of Hesra. Had I known, I would not have come and we might not be having this conversation."

   "But you would still be evil." Saria pointed out.

   "True enough." Secras said, "But we are having this conversation because I was tricked. Majora knew about Ganondorf. And he knew I had the power to release him. So when I arrived at Hyrule castle, Majora took away the power he had given me. After you left me within an inch of my life, Majora promised to save me if I freed Ganondorf. I did as told, but Majora never had any intention of holding his end of the bargain."

   "And you vowed to return and haunt him." Zelda finished.

   "Precisely," said the count, "But I am bound to this land, so I cannot haunt Majora as I planned. What I can do though, is help ye and help Link."

   "How?" Raru asked.

   "There was one thing about Oni that disturbed his followers; he never fell in love with any woman for he did not understand what love was. Nor did he understand friendship. He did everything on his own. Link on the other hand realizes the importance of both friendship and love. And he is fortunate enough to have both."

   "Indeed he does." Zelda said, "What must we do?"

   "I believe it is called the song time." Secras replied, "It is was written to open the door to the sacred realm. That's how I got past the door of time; I couldn't pass through it."

   "How will Link be able to hear this song?" Nabooru asked "And how did you get in here?"

   "For Link to hear this song, ye must find all his friends and loved ones. From what I understand, that might take ye some time seeing how far apart his friends can be." Secras said, "And as to getting in, a rather simple opening spell that I learned as a student allowed to enter unnoticed."

   "We'll have to check up on that later." Raru said, "Right now, Link's friends must be found. I'm sure we all are. Who else?" The other sages gave him a stunned look, "Okay, don't give me a list." He said throwing his hands in the air, "Just find them and bring them to the temple of time as quickly as you can." The others nodded and disappeared.

   "As for you count Secras," Raru turned his attention to the ghost, "Is there anything else you can do?"

   "I will be Link's ears to this land," Secras said, "It still needs to be loud and…fulfilling I guess is the word before Link can properly hear it."

   "What do you mean by fulfilling?" Raru asked.

   "Only one ocarina is not enough. It will take a lot of friendship and love before Link finds the strength to separate from Oni."

   "Then what about Majora?" 

   "All will be made clear in time." Was Secras' reply.

   "We don't have much time." A raspy, booming voice said. This was the voice of Oni Link. Just his voice had the power to shake the earth. Ganondorf felt the tremble beneath his feet. Then he felt his own body shake. 

   "We know what Majora plans on doing," Oni Link continued, "Use the power of the six and hope to destroy us. There is no way he can even if he had that and was still with ye. We are far more powerful than ye can possibly imagine."

    At first Ganondorf stared, taking in the warrior's every word. Then he replayed what had been said in his head and made a startling discovery.

   "Ye?" the Gerudo asked, "You are merely wearing a mask Link. Why do you…oh." Ganondorf was remembering what Majora's backup plan was should 'they' fail. "I see. Link, the hero of fools, has taken the bait."

   "What bait Ganondorf?" Oni Link asked.

   "You may very well know what Majora plans to do but I know what you hope to accomplish." Ganondorf said.

   "We do not know what ye speak of." Oni Link replied.

   "Link!" Ganondorf cried after a pause, "You know what Oni plans to do. You've seen it in your dreams!" Oni Link silenced by punching him in the gut. The Gerudo was knocked three feet into the air. He landed hard on his back. Oni Link approached Ganondorf's side. He put his foot on the Gerudo's chest and pressed down on it. Ganondorf yelled in agony as his ribs were broken.

   "Now ye know what Cartu felt when ye did this to him." Oni Link said, "Remember Cartu? The young guard who fought ye off long enough for the king of Hyrule to escape." Ganondorf said nothing. He was trying to resist the pain. 

    Oni Link's eyes brightened. He lifted his foot slightly before stomping down. 

   "Do ye remember?" Oni Link asked over Ganondorf's screaming.

   "Yes!" came the reply, full of pain.

   "No!" the warrior said, "No, I don't think ye do.

   "I?" asked Ganondorf. Oni Link smiled back at him. It was not very reassuring.

   "Yes," the warrior replied, "I. I must confess that ye are right. Link has taken the bait and now Link is gone. There is only I, Oni." His hand went up and behind his head. "I thought of torturing ye for a while." He drew his sword and held it high above his head. "But I'll just do what Link could not do, because he was so weak."

    Ganondorf stared at the sword that was to be his death. His eyes were carried downwards towards the imposing figure standing on him, his mortal enemy. The Gerudo always thought it would be his destiny to control Hyrule. But in his last moments, he realized he tried to save it from its own savior. Ganondorf laughed at the irony of it all as Oni brought the blade down. 


End file.
